We are partners with the Church of God, Anderson movement. You can find out more from their link or type in, "Jesus is the subject," in your web browser. https://www.jesusisthesubject.org/our-beliefs/
If you noticed, Church of God Anderson calls itself a movement, not a denomination. A movement is always evolving and always free to change. That freedom allows each church under the umbrella of Anderson to conduct itself as a non-denominational church. The only thing Anderson truly holds for us is the 501(c)(3) status for legal purposes. Anderson does not require anything from us, but it does offer us valuable and extensive access into ministry aids, tools and global access for missions and church growth. Along with several universities around the nation, it is a wonderful partnership.
Being a movement means we are not beholden to several qualifiers other churches may set, yet we are still anchored to sound doctrine as seen in the following, brief, bullet statements.
- We do not require membership; no signing a document saying you attend New Hope. We believe that if you have accepted these basic non-negotiable items then you are already a member of God's family. He calls you child. You're part of His Kingdom, who are we to say you have to become something more?
- Jesus is the only Son of God who came and died in your place for sin;
- Jesus defeated death on the cross and is our risen Lord;
- That He alone is the only way to reconciliation with God;
- That you must repent and believe in Jesus
- We do not have a manual to direct our worship and lives. We believe the Holy Bible gives us everything we need to conduct our lives and our church according to God’s will. The Bible is God's Holy word. It is infallible, true and perfect. It was given by God to mankind through various means and methods. It can not be changed and can not be altered to suit man's beliefs.
- Salvation is Required, Revealed, Received, and Realized. To be reconciled with God, we must be saved. Our need will be revealed by the working of the Holy Spirit. This gift was paid for with the blood of Christ and we only need to receive it. Our sins are forgiven, we can start to live as God intended for us to live. Experiencing the joy of being redeemed in Jesus Christ.
- Be Holy as I am Holy, as scripture says in many places, is not as much of a command as it is an invitation to live a life experiencing who God truly is. Holy living is an identifier of the transformation that took place when Jesus came into our hearts; when we died to our old self. This new life is what sets us apart from the rest of the world.
- We are called to do as Jesus commanded in what we define as Ordinances.
- We believe in a believers baptism through emersion.
- Communion is offered to all who believe in Jesus
- Foot washing as a sign of humility and serving
Jesus calls Christians to follow all of these ordinances but we must take care and remember they were created for us; we were not created for them. Salvation is not found in their practice but they are the reflection of our faith to the rest of the world
- All men are endowed with certain gifts from the Holy Spirit like preaching, teaching, prophesying, tongues and healing. Gifts can not be taught but they can be better understood and honed as much as any other gift you may have been given like singing, painting, parenting, etc. Their use however is applicable only as the Spirit deems necessary. Devine healing is a very important part of the salvation process. At its most basic, when we accept Christ, we start to become spiritually healthy which leads to emotional and physical healing as our lives have been changed. We believe that all gifts serve the purpose and will of God to point to Jesus.
- The Return of Christ will be final and definitive; there will be no question that Jesus has returned. In that one glorious moment, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord; both the redeemed and the lost. There will be no need for a post tribulation or a pre-tribulation. The rapture as glamorized by books and movies does not even appear in the bible but it is a false teaching of false prophets. When Jesus comes, it will be sudden. It will be over in a twinkling of the eye. There are a few signs to look for but ultimately, only God knows when He'll send Jesus to rescue us from the corruption of this failing and lost world. You will either receive Heaven and Jesus because you trusted in Him, or you will go to eternal punishment in Hell for not receiving Him.
These are very brief snapshots but they are simply intended to give you a basic understanding into what we believe. These statements build the foundation of our theology that the rest of our beliefs, (marriage and divorce, homosexuality, adultery; the sanctity city of life, creation, etc.) are based.
- Each one is supported in scripture but there simply isn’t enough room to expand on them here.
You can visit the Anderson site with the URL listed above or you better yet, come by and visit us.
