Our Beliefs

Our Values 

(Some of these have been adapted from Mark Ashton‘s book “Christ and His People”)

I. The Reality of the Living God

We unapologetically believe that God is an awesome and transcendent God who has also drawn near in His Son and by His Holy Spirit. We believe that He is active in our lives and we expect to see Him at work in our midst. 

II. Dependence of God in Prayer

Prayer lies at the heart of the local church. Without it, we cannot expect to see God at work in reaching the Lost and growing the Found. We do not see prayer as something we “add” to what we do, but the main thing we are called to do. This is the foundational way we co-labor with God in His redemptive work in the world. 

III. The Centrality of the Word

The Word of God does the Work of God through the Spirit of God in the People of God. Among other things, this means that consecutive expository preaching by the elders is the best normal diet of the local church in its worship gatherings. We also believe that the Word of God should play a key part in discipleship and evangelism in smaller groups.

IV. The Local Church

The local church is the primary place where the Kingdom of Heaven connects with and impacts this world. We believe that the Local Church has its expression in larger Sunday Gatherings, home groups, and discipleship groups as well believers out in the world representing Christ. The ordinary gatherings of the church should be for both edification and evangelism (with no sharp distinction between these).

V. Every Believer a Minister

The ministers of the local church are all of its members. Though the elders lead the church and it’s ministry, we believe that every member of our church has been called by Jesus to be actively involved in the work of making disciples in our region using the gifts the Holy Spirit has given them to this end (Eph 4:12).

VI. Focus and Simplicity

The local church should focus on doing a few things really well: Worship, Evangelism, Discipleship, Service and Mercy in the context of Christian fellowship and hospitality.

VII. Sacrificial Love for the Lost

The local church exists for the sake of others. This is expressed in our care for the unbeliever during our gatherings, our willingness to adapt where appropriate to connect with the Lost (1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1) the priority of evangelism, and our concern for the poor, disabled, and downtrodden in our society.

Our Denominational Affiliation

Cornerstone Presbyterian Church is a congregation of believers associated with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). The PCA is composed of more than 1700 churches and missions throughout the USA and Canada. To learn more, go here: pcanet.org

These beliefs are foundational to our church, a summary of what the Bible proclaims about the central matters of our faith. For a deeper exploration of what we believe, please see the Westminster Confession of Faith. 

The Bible
We believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of mankind, and the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and life.

God
We believe in one living, sovereign and true God, who is infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, coequal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections.

Creation
We believe that in the beginning God created the world and all things out of nothing, and by His sovereign power and providence, He continues to sustain and order His creation to fulfill His divine purposes and manifest His glory.

Humanity
We believe that man was created in the image of God to have fellowship with Him and to glorify Him and therefore have great dignity and value. But, man fell into sin and thereby became spiritually dead, separated from God, under God’s condemnation and totally unable to please God or merit salvation.

God’s Plan of Salvation
We believe that God has graciously provided a plan of salvation for fallen man. In this plan, Jesus Christ has become our representative, taking our sins upon Himself, having offered himself as a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice and to reconcile us to God. All who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again by the Holy Spirit, justified on the basis of His shed blood, become children of God and are indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption.

Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, he arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the majesty on high, he now is our high priest and advocate.

The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells God’s people and gives them the strength to trust and follow Him. 

The Holy Spirit in the believers empowers them to experience God the Father as His beloved children (Romans 5:5; 8:15, Galatians 4:6) and to know the risen Jesus Christ as their Lord, Savior and Friend (John 15:15). 

The Holy Spirit works in believers to help their lives conform practically to the status declared over them in their justification: this lifelong process is called sanctification. The Spirit leads believers to develop a character that is more like Christ’s which expresses itself practical ways serving as evidence of their true faith (fruit of the Spirit). 

The Holy Spirit manifests the presence of God by distributing gifts among the church community for service, growth, and as a witness to the Gospel (1 Corinthians 12-14). 

The Church
We believe in one universal church of which Christ is the head. The visible church is the ordinary means of the spread of the gospel and the building up of God’s people in Christ. Water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are sacraments to be observed by the Church during this present age. They do not save us in any automatic or mechanical way. However, the Holy Spirit does genuinely convey spiritual grace to those who partake of them by faith (1 Corinthians 10:16; Colossians 2:12).

Last Things
We believe in the personal, visible coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust, the everlasting punishment of the lost in hell, and the everlasting blessedness of the saved in heaven.