SonRise Christian Church believes that God created us in His image, to see others as He sees them, to serve others as Jesus taught us to serve and to love others as God loves them. We strive to share the love of Christ in practical ways in all we do. We believe that you will never look into the eyes of someone that Christ did not die for.

The Scriptures:

We believe in the Scripture of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired by God, complete and inerrant in the original writings and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life.

God:

We believe in one (1) God, eternally existing in three (3) persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

  • God the Father is the Creator of all things and Preserver and Ruler of the universe. He is all-loving, all-just, all-wise and all-powerful.
  • God the Son, Jesus Christ, is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three (3) days to demonstrate his power over sin and death. We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, His ascension into Heaven, His present life there for us as High priest and advocate, and His imminent return.
  • God the Holy Spirit is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He lives in all Christians from the moment of salvation, providing them with power for living and guidance in doing what is right.

Man:

We believe that man was created by a special work in the image of God. Although created innocent he made a free choice to sin and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death, which is separation from God. We believe all human beings are born with a sinful nature and in the case of those who reach moral responsibility, become sinners in thought, word, and deed.

Salvation:

We believe that because of sin man is separated from God. Jesus Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; and that all who believe in Him as Lord and Savior are born again and are justified on the grounds of His shed blood and resurrection from the dead.

The Devil or Satan:

We believe in the existence of a literal personal evil and malicious being called Satan or the Devil.

The Christian Life:

We believe all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all life. (Psalm 139). Further, we believe that the life of victory in Jesus Christ is the normal life for every believer and not a higher degree of Christian living.

Marriage, Family, Gender, and Sexuality:

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Genesis 1:26 – 27) Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.

We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Genesis 2:18 – 25) We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2 – 5; Hebrews 13:4) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.

We believe God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. We believe that God has given parents the responsibility to bring their children up in the nurture and discipline of the Lord and that the Church must work to compliment the parent’s efforts and facilitate Godly living within the home.

We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matthew 15:18 – 20; 1 Corinthians 6:9 – 10)

We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the Church members and the community, it is imperative that all members, all persons employed by the SonRise Ministries in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. (Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:14 – 16; 1 Thessalonians 5:22)

We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19 – 21; Romans 10:9 – 10; 1 Corinthians 6:9 – 11)

We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28 – 31; Luke 6:31) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the Doctrines of the SonRise Ministries.

The Church:

We believe the New Testament church is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers brought together by the Spirit of God to carry out the Great Commandment by practicing the Great Commission. Our congregation operates under the Lordship of Jesus Christ through a democratic process. We believe each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. The New Testament also speaks of the Church as the Body of Christ, which is distinct from Israel, and includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.

Ordinances:

We celebrate baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

  • Baptism – is an outward expression of an inward change that has occurred in the life of the believer. It is identification with Christ by picturing his death, burial and resurrection.
  • The Lord’s Supper – is a memorial service whereby we remember Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection and promised return. It is preceded by a time of self-examination and reflection. The bread and cup are symbols of his broken body and shed blood which were given for our salvation.

Creation:

We believe in the literal Genesis account of creation.

Last Things:

We believe God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.

Final Authority on Matters of Faith and Conduct:

This statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of the church’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our Pastor/ Council of Elders is the church’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.