What We Believe

The gospel message presented in ALL of scripture is central in all of life. Growth in the Christian life occurs the same way that it begins: through repenting of our sins, turning in belief to Jesus as he is offered in the gospel, following Jesus in obedience… and repeat.

Prayer is essential to the life of a Christian and to the life of a church. Through prayer, we commune with God, express our need and dependence upon him, align ourselves with God's work, and become empowered by Him.

God's kingdom has entered history in the person of Jesus Christ to renew the whole world and reconcile all things to himself. The church is God's principle instrument of making his coming kingdom a present reality.

God became incarnate (became man) in the person of Jesus so that the world could be reconciled to God and one another. As a church, we model the incarnation in manifesting the love and truth of Jesus Christ to Southern Maryland and wherever we serve.

We strive to be a community where Jesus Christ is experienced in his presence and power, and where lives are transformed by the gospel through mutual ministry. We are a place where people come to know and experience his presence in a way that cannot happen individually. We are a community where it is safe to be broken without fear of condemnation, where there is gospel-inspired transparency and accountability, and where lives are transformed by the grace and power of God.

The story of God is the foundation of our church.  It is a true story rooted in history and communicated through God's Word, the Bible.  The biblical story includes four main acts: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration.  This drama tells the story of the gospel: the good news of how God created us to know Him personally, and then entered human history in Jesus Christ to renew creation and redeem people from every nation, tribe, and language.  The gospel is the center of who we are and all that we do.  We believe that we never get past this foundational truth, and that growth in the Christian life occurs the same way that it began: through a deepening belief in the gospel of Jesus.

Our church is led by a "representative" leadership structure called "Presbyterian," which means that we are elder-led.  We believe that it is good and right for churches, their leaders, and their members to be connected and accountable.  We also believe that the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper not only represent God's grace, but seal and apply that grace to our lives.

We belong to the global family of churches shaped by the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.  This heritage is characterized by an emphasis on the centrality of the Scriptures,  the goodness of creation, and the priority of God's grace in all of life, including salvation.