We believe there is one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God created mankind to have fellowship with Him, but because sin entered the world, that fellowship was broken. To restore a relationship with Him, the Father sent his Son, Jesus, to live a sinless life as a man on earth in order for Jesus to die as a worthy substitute for the penalty of sin. God is all powerful, all knowing, ever present, unchanging, completely worthy of our trust, and above all, Holy. It is in Him that we live, move and exist. God is good. He is our Father. He is loving, compassionate, and faithful to His people and His promises
Through the power of God, Jesus rose from the dead and now sits on a throne in heaven as King. In His death and resurrection, eternal salvation was purchased for mankind—it is only through God’s grace that we are saved. Those who have turned to Jesus and trusted His finished work receive the Holy Spirit to drive the transformation of becoming more like Jesus, and as a result, attract non-believers to God. It is our purpose on earth to represent God and share this message of forgiveness and restoration. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ as both God and man is the only One who can reconcile us to God. He lived a sinless and exemplary life, died on the cross in our place, and rose again to prove His victory and empower us for life. We believe that in order to receive forgiveness and the ‘new birth’ we must repent of our sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and submit to His will for our lives. We believe that Jesus established and is building His Church in preparation for His return. We believe that our eternal destination of either Heaven or hell is determined by our response to the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s plan is that all believers regularly meet together for worship, fellowship, service, and instruction in the Word of God.
The Holy Spirit’s presence assures us of our relationship with Christ. He guides believers into all truth and exalts Christ. He convicts people of their sin, God’s righteousness, and the coming judgment. He comforts us, gives us spiritual gifts, and makes us more like Christ. We believe that the infilling of the Holy Spirit is available to all believers to equip them for witness and ministry. The Holy Spirit enables us to use spiritual gifts as enumerated in I Corinthians 12-14 and as manifested in the Early Church. The Holy Spirit dwells within a Christian and helps them in their weakness and defends against the enemy. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live an overcoming life and to become who God created us to be.
The sole basis for our belief is the Bible. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. Because it was uniquely inspired by God, it is truth without error, and the final authority on all matters on which it speaks. We believe the Bible is completely relevant to our daily lives.
Baptism is a symbol. It’s meant to show the world that that you love, trust and have put your hope in Christ. It’s like a wedding ring. The Scripture teaches that all who repent and believe in Christ are to be baptized by immersion. Baptism is a public profession of faith in Christ. Baptism is symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. It’s a declaration to the world that we have died to sin and have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life. We believe in baptizing children when they are old enough to understand what it means and make a personal declaration of belief. Baptism does not make you a believer; it shows that you already are one! Baptism does not “save” you; only your faith in Christ does that.
The Lord’s Table consists of two elements: the bread and cup. These elements are symbolic of the body and blood of Christ. Communion is a memorial of Christ’s sufferings on the cross and a celebration of our salvation. Communion began on the annual celebration of Passover when Jesus told his disciples to remember his sacrifice as they ate the bread and drank the wine. Holy communion uses bread as a symbol of the body of Jesus and wine (or juice) as a symbol of his blood. The act of taking communion does not save us, it is an act of worship and remembrance.It’s an opportunity for a believer to examine himself and experience the forgiveness we possess in Christ.
Agape Community Church welcomes ALL people but does not affirm all lifestyles. Put clearly, we do not affirm lifestyles that involve sexual intimacy within premarital relationships, homosexuality or polyamorous relationships, as well as bisexuality, adultery, bestiality, incest, or pornography. Because of this, we do not knowingly have anyone participating in sexual intimacy outside of marriage, homosexuality, or those participating in a lifestyle that involves pornography in positions of leadership, either paid or unpaid within our church. God created humanity with free will. He has called us as Christians to love all people including those who believe differently to us. Jesus came to save, not condemn. Our goal is to avoid hurt and to demonstrate love. We are a welcoming church but we are not a church that affirms lifestyles of sexual immorality according to biblical standards. At Agape Community Church, we’ll be a safe place for any person struggling with sexual temptations of all kinds. For those struggling with temptation, repenting of sin, and desiring to walk in who God called them to be, we will provide grace, love, care, and direction to encourage each of us to walk in God’s upward, inward, outward love.
At Agape Community Church we believe that women who are called by God and are equipped can lead, teach, preach, and pastor in the church. Women have contributed much to the ministry of the Church throughout its history. However, their role in this area has never been free from controversy. Today, most church bodies are discussing the place of women in their ministries. The New Testament clearly portrays that the early church had a varied and faithful ministry arising from the fact that all of God’s people were “gifted” by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of building up one another. Any person who was called and gifted by God and affirmed by the body of Christ could exercise ministry. Some were set apart in leadership positions and some were assigned specific tasks to accomplish, but the differences among ministries were not distinctions of kind. Eventually, certain types of affirmation were combined with certain functions of ministry to produce our current understanding of ordination. Modern debates over women leading in the church often miss the crucial and basic issues of the holistic concept of the ministry of the Church reflected in the New Testament. Of course, no person should be ordained or given any responsibilities of ministry within the Church because of gender or for the sake of a “point.” On the other hand, we have affirmed in the Church that no person, called and gifted by God, should be denied any role of ministry or leadership in the Church because of one’s gender.