What We Believe

The Bible is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian faith and living. It is the final authority on all matters on which it bears. Because it is inspired by God, the Bible is the truth without any mixture of error.

II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 2:1, 20, 21; II Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. There is one true Holy God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and equally possess all the attributes of deity and characteristics of personality. In the beginning, God created out of nothing the world and all the things therein.

Genesis 1:1, 26, 27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14

God the Father is the Divine Source for all created existence, everything originates from Him, and He is the ingenerate source and ground of the Trinity itself. God the Father is the Sovereign Ruler revealed as the heavenly Monarch, the transcendent ruler, who is not only far above us, but draws near to care for us. God the Father is the primary Lord Chief Justice by nature, and He sets the standard of defining right and wrong. God the Father is the Compassionate Reconciler who is love and sets things right by sending His Son, Jesus, to forgive our sins so we can live with Him forever. God the Father is Him to Whom Things Return and all things will return to the Divine Source, the Father, who will share His glory with the Son and Spirit.

Eph 3:14-15, 4:6; Isa 57:15; Lev 18:4; 1 John 4:8,16 ; Col 1:20

Jesus Christ is God’s eternal son. He is co-equal with the Father. As true God and true man, He allowed Himself to be born of a virgin, lived a sinless human life, and voluntarily offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins by dying on a cross as our substitute. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of kings, and Lord of lords.

Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; I Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; I Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men and women aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of Scriptural truth, and guidance in doing what is right. At the point of salvation, He uniquely gives to every Christian a spiritual gift that is to be used for the building up of the Body of Christ – the Church. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily, to exhibit Christ-like character, and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father.

2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13, 5:17-21; Galatians 5:25

Human beings were created in God’s image but rebelled against God through disobedience. This rebellion resulted in all human beings being marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin.” This attitude separates all people from God and renders them incapable of pleasing God on their own merit or saving themselves.

Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1-2

We believe that all humanity is created in the image of God and possesses intrinsic dignity and worth. We believe, based on the scriptures, that life begins at conception. God made humanity—male and female—in His own image. Set apart as His image-bearers, every human being is sacred. All men and all women, bearing the image of God, are meant to reflect God in His creation. God declares the created order to be very good, distinguishing men and women as His agents to care for, manage and govern over it. They enjoy equal access to God by faith in Christ Jesus and are both called to move beyond passive self-indulgence to significant private and public engagement in family, church and civic life. Adam and Eve were made to complement each other in a one-flesh union in the covenant of marriage that establishes the only God-ordained pattern of sexual relations for men and women. In God’s wise purposes, men and women are not simply interchangeable, but rather they complement each other in mutually enriching ways.

Genesis 1:27-30; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Gen 2:24; Matthew 19:5; Ephesians 5:31, Psalm 139:13,16, Jeremiah 1:5, Galatians 1:15

Salvation is God’s free gift to us. We can never make up for our sins by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life to Jesus Christ in faith, trusting in Him alone for the forgiveness of our sins, we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one transfers their trust from themselves to Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, and when God has begun a saving work in the heart of any person, He promises to continue performing it until the day of its full consummation. We are involved in this process by choosing to follow Christ, trust Him, and obey Him.

Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1-8; Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13; John 10:29-30; II Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; I Peter 1:3-5

We believe there are two ordinances of the Church, the believer’s baptism and Communion.

Water baptism is only intended for those who have received the saving benefits of Christ through the new birth of the Holy Spirit. In obedience to Christ’s command and as a testimony to God, the Church, oneself and the world, believers are baptized by water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Water baptism is a visual and symbolic demonstration of a person’s union with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection. It signifies that a former way of life has been put to death and vividly depicts the release from the mastery of Satan, sin and death. The water itself does not save. Only our faith in and through the sufficiency of Christ’s death and resurrection alone is how salvation is accomplished.

As with water baptism, Communion is to be observed only by those who have become followers of Christ. This ordinance symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body and the shedding of His blood on our behalf and is to be observed repeatedly throughout the Christian life as a sign of continued participation in the atoning benefits of Christ’s death. As we come to the table with an attitude of faith and self-examination, we remember and proclaim the death of Christ, receive spiritual nourishment for our souls and signify our unity with other members of Christ’s body.

Baptism: Acts 10:48; 1 Peter 3:21; Colossians 2:12; Matthew 28:1-20
Communion: Luke 22:19-20; Matthew 26:26-28; John 6:53-58; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

People were created to exist forever. Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation in Jesus Christ.

John 3:16, 2:25, 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; Hebrews 9:27; Matthew 18:8, 25:44-46

The Church is the living body of Christ on earth and at the point of salvation, a person becomes a member of Christ’s body. Christ is the head of the Church and the source of its life. The Body is comprised of those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Church exists to display a passion for Jesus Christ, to demonstrate a compassion for people, to develop fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ, and to declare God’s love to people who do not yet know Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 2:19-22, 5:23-24; Acts 2:41-47; Matthew 16:15-18; Colossians 3:21; Revelation 4:11; Ephesians 4:11-13; Matthew 22:36-40, 28:19-20; Romans 12:3-16; I Corinthians 12:4-12; Acts 1:8

North Metro Church has adopted the principle of a plurality of leadership, rather than a single pastoral model. Our leadership team, consisting of the Council of Elders, the Board of Advisors, and the church staff, work together to lead the church in pursuit of our purpose and ministry objectives.

These three groups work together as follows:

The church staff directs the ministries and day-to-day activities of the church with overall leadership provided by the Management Team. The church ministries are supported by the policies and allocation of financial resources determined by the Board of Advisors. All the activities of the church are carried out under the protection of the Council of Elders.

When it comes to who we are as a church, we would say that we are mission-driven, not issue-driven. We work hard to be clear about who we are. We help people find and follow Jesus. However, in this increasingly polarized world, we recognize that some issues have become deal breakers for some who are searching for a church home. It would be our humble honor for anyone to be a part of our church family. But as you consider North Metro Church, we want to honor the time, thought, and prayer you’ve invested in this decision by sharing additional thoughts on some key issues.

We have written and are in the process of writing some position statements that will hopefully give a clearer picture of the character and nature of our church. Formulating these statements has been a process of prayer, study, and reflection by our elders and pastors over the course of years. This is not to say that this makes our conclusions infallible. We know all too well that we are human and prone to error. What they do reflect, however, is a sincere and thoughtful attempt to lay out a clear pathway through these cultural questions that is faithful to Scripture and the way of Jesus.

Marriage
Politics