Statement of Faith
STATEMENT OF FAITH:
· We believe in all of the great Christian doctrines including the Trinity; the Deity of Christ, the forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ and His atoning work on the cross; His resurrection; and His coming again to save His own, to establish His Kingdom, and to judge the world.
· We believe that the Bible is the true and divinely inspired Word of God, and we preach, teach, and seek to live by its inspiration and under it as our final authority for faith and practice.
· We honor Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and seek to honor Him through wholehearted worship, Christ-centered living, and witness.
· We believe that Christian ministry is to serve God in worship, to serve the church in love, fellowship, body life and equipping for service, and to serve the world through compassion and witness, all for the glory of God.
· We emphasize the essential role of the Holy Spirit in empowering and equipping Christians to serve Christ effectively and to build up His body. We believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today and that our worship services, ministries, and fellowship gatherings should allow freedom for the Holy Spirit to operate in the context of balance, order, and love.
· We believe in the ministry of every believer, that every Christian has been called and gifted by the Spirit for active ministry in the body of Christ.
· We are committed to interdenominational fellowship, recognizing that Christ’s body is made up of all those who are born of His Spirit and committed to His Lordship, and that the unity of Christians is essential if we are to effectively present Christ to the world.
The Manhattan Declaration
On Nov. 20, 2009, a group of prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders and scholars released the Manhattan Declaration, which addresses the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious liberty. As an evangelical church Arcata First Baptist Church affirms this declaration. https://www.manhattandeclaration.org/