Our BELIEFS: The Family

We believe that 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.  The only God-ordained marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.  This Biblical and legal union is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church.  Those living together outside of marriage or in a same-sex relationship are outside of God’s plan for the family and shall not be accepted as members of this congregation of believers.  Marriage provides the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means of procreation for the human race.  Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and a heritage from the Lord.  Parents are to demonstrate God’s pattern of marriage to their children   (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:15-23; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Proverbs 5:15-20,6:20-22, 13:24, 22:6,15; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31,32, 18:2-5, 19:3-9; Mark 10:6-12;
Romans 1:18-32; I Corinthians 6:18, 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33, 6:1-4; I Timothy 5:14; Hebrews 13:4; I Peter 3:1-7).