Statement of Faith / Beliefs

Our statement of faith reflects what we believe the Bible teaches about living out our faith. If you would like the full version of our statement of beliefs, please contact our First Steps Coordinator by clicking this link: Contact our First Steps Coordinator

SCRIPTURE

We believe that both the New and Old Testaments were written by humans yet inspired by the Holy Spirit. As a result, scripture is without error and absolutely trustworthy. It is the believer’s rule and authority for life, guiding us in faithful living when culture condones thoughts, practices and ways of living that seek to degrade and destroy humanity.

TRINITY

We believe in one God who simultaneously lives and works in the three different persons of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

GOD

We believe that God the Father created, established, ordered and continues to work in the world.

JESUS

We believe that God the Father showed unfathomable love for us by entering the world in Jesus Christ who, being equal with God, was both fully human and fully divine.

HOLY SPIRIT

We believe God broke into our sinful lives in the person of the Holy Spirit who is fully God, equal with the Father and Son.

SIN & CREATION

We believe that God created the world out of nothing and deemed it good. Sin however, through the willful disobedience of humanity, corrupted God’s good creation, utterly defaced the image of God in us and infected all of humanity.

SALVATION

We believe we are granted eternal life in Christ alone, by grace alone and through faith alone.

CHURCH

We believe that when followers of Christ receive faith, they become adopted sons and daughters of God and are called into a community of believers. This is the church. These believers, tied together by the Holy Spirit, constitute His body on earth and through the collective interworking of individual gifts, further the mission of the kingdom of God through the church.

SACRAMENTS

We believe that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, both instituted by Jesus Christ, are celebrated in God’s church as outward signs of an inward, invisible grace.

MALE LEADERSHIP

In keeping with the consistent pattern of male leadership among God’s people throughout the Scriptures, the roles of a church’s senior pastors and elders are to be fulfilled by men.

CHRISTIAN LIVING

At the moment of salvation, the believer is justified, or made right with God, and adopted into God’s family. The process of sanctification then begins. Upon trusting Jesus as God and Savior, the believer’s life begins to change as God works in him and as he continues to submit to Him. The Christian life is marked by obedience to the Lord and a desire to live life the way the Bible says.

GENDER

We believe the Bible says God creates each person as either male or female, that each person’s sex is a gift from God reflected in the person’s biological sex at birth, and that a person’s sex is not subject to change by personal preference, self-perception, or medical intervention.

MARRIAGE

We believe the Bible says the marriage covenant shall be reserved only for one man with one woman.

SEXUALITY

We believe the Bible says the expression of human sexuality is limited to the marital relationship between one man with one woman, which is the only legitimate and acceptable sexual relationship.

LOVE & GRACE

We believe that every person is created in the image of God and is worthy of dignity, love, and respect, and that all people are sinners in need of God’s grace.

LAST THINGS

God has appointed a day when He will judge the world. On that day, God will demonstrate His mercy by eternal salvation for all who have responded to faith in Christ, and will demonstrate His justice by eternal damnation in Hell for those who have not responded to faith in Christ.

Our Values

Our values are the heart of who we are. When you spend time at Embark, these are the things we hope you'll see and experience.

Authenticity

We openly talk about our struggles. We believe it is ok for you to have questions about your faith, wrestle with those questions, and learn how to live out your faith authentically.

Intentionality

We are intentional in everything we do whether that is an operation of the church or our individual spiritual growth.

Spiritual Depth

Learning about Jesus, what He does, and how to be more like Him are at the heart of what we do. Since this is a never-ending growth process, we intentionally create opportunities to grow deeper in our faith.

Community

Being in a community is essential to who we are. Developing relationships is critical to our spiritual growth. We create many opportunities for people to connect with others.

Experience

Experiencing the Holy Spirit is crucial to spiritual growth. Because of this we intentionally create opportunities for you to experience Him.

Involvement

We believe a church is only effective in growing people spiritually when the people are committed and involved. As a result, we emphasize individual involvement vs spectating.

Our Culture

Embark's culture is our most valuable asset. We are intentional about creating and maintaining it. We do this by emphasizing particular values.

Culture includes the collective behaviors, beliefs, and practices of a particular group of people.
Every organization or people group forms a culture.
It is often more felt than explained.

When we visit any church, we are assessing culture.
We do this by asking two questions:

Do I fit here?
Do they fit with me?

In essence we are trying to answer -
Can I see myself here?