About

Statement of Faith

• “We believe” indicates our acknowledgement of an essential Christian doctrine. We believe to reject these doctrines is to reject orthodox Christian teaching.
• “We teach” indicates our acknowledgment of a secondary Christian doctrine that, while we believe the Bible teaches, we do not divide over within the greater body of Christ.
• “We practice” Indicates our acknowledgment of a tertiary belief or manner of practice within Roots Church. This is simply our conviction of how we choose to worship and why.

We believe that the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired, without error in the original manuscripts and are the infallible rule of faith and practice. The Word of God is the foundation upon which the church operates and is the basis for which the church is governed. We believe that the Word of God supersedes any earthly law that is contrary to the Holy Scriptures. (Isaiah 28:13; Nehemiah 8:8; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23-25; 2 Peter 1:3-4 and 1:21).

We believe that there is one living and true GOD, eternally existing in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all things. (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:8 and 48:16; Matthew 28:19-20; John 10:30; Hebrews 1:3).

• We believe in the person of God the Father, an infinite, eternal, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love; that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all those who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalms 90:2; Psalms 102:27; John 3:16 and 4:24; 1 Timothy 1:17; Titus 1:3).
• We believe in the person of Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings, his substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and personal, visible return to earth. (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:23; Mark 16:19; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1-2, 8:58 and 11:25; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 1:2; Revelation 1:8).
• We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit, Who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower for ministry all who believe in Christ; (Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 3:18; John 16:8-11; Romans 8:26 and 15:13,16; Hebrews 9:14), We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide. (John 6:13, 14:16-17 and 16:8-11; Romans 8:26). 

We teach the present day ministry of the Holy Spirit in regard to the exercise of all biblical gifts of the Holy Spirit and that they should be practiced biblically and orderly (1 Corinthians 12-14; Romans 12:3-8)

We believe that all people are sinners by nature and choice, falling short of God’s standard and breaking His commandments – and therefore are under God’s righteous judgment. Yet God saves and gives new life to all who come to Him in repentance and faith, trusting in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. At the cross, Jesus Christ died in our place as our substitute, absorbing God’s wrath that should have come upon us. If we have faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross we are imputed His righteousness and have inherited eternal life.(Romans 3:23, Acts 3:19, Acts 20:21, Ephesians 2:1-3, Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 John 2:2, John 3:16, Matthew 11:28, Revelation 22:17).

We teach that God is sovereign over His creation and has given man free choice of will. While man is in bondage to his sin and is deserving of just penalty for that sin, the message of the Gospel is the power of God for salvation for all who believe and if accepted freely by faith, that person shall be saved. This is entirely a work of God; however, faith is the means by which it is received. We do not teach that regeneration precedes faith or the individual election of some and the individual damnation of others unilaterally by God before the foundation of the world. Those that spend eternity in hell do so because they rejected the free gift of salvation offered to all. (Colossians 2:11-13; John 3:14-21; Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Peter 3:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:10)

We believe in a literal Heaven and a literal Hell and that all those who place their faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in Heaven with the Lord, while those who reject Jesus’ free gift of salvation will spend eternity separated from the Lord. (Psalm 9:17; Matthew 5:3, 5:22, 18:9 and 25:31-34; Mark 9:42-49; Luke 12:5; John 3:18; Hebrews 12:23; 1 Peter 1:4; Revelation 14:10-11 and 20:11-15)

We believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which is His personal, visible return to earth; in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment and eternal blessing of the righteous and endless separation of the wicked. (Matthew 16:27; Acts 1:11; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:11-15) 

We teach the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church where all believers will meet the Lord in the air and be taken out of this world prior to the Tribulation that will come upon the earth. (Isaiah 26:20; Matthew 24:29-31; Luke 21:36; Romans 1:18, 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-16 and 5:9; 2 Peter 2:7-9; Revelation 3:10, 5:7-10 and 7:13-14)

We believe that God created man and that He created them male and female. As such He created them differently so as to complement and complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. Therefore, we perform marriages in accordance with the Bible consistent with the Old and New Testament. (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; John 4:16-18; Romans 1:18-32; I Corinthians 5:11, 6:9-11, 6:18-20, 7:1-3 and 7:8-9; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3-7; 1 Timothy 1:9-11)

We teach the pattern and principle of male leadership and responsibility in both the home and the church, according to the sacrificial example of Jesus. We believe this limits the roles of pastoral leadership and doctrinal authority to qualified men (1 Corinthians 11:1-12, 1 Timothy 2:1-15). We believe in the universal church, the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the head and all who are born again are a part of the Body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:15-16)

We teach that the Lord Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances for the church: (a) full immersion water baptism of believers, and (b) the Lord’s Supper. (Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

We teach that the nation of Israel has a special place in God’s plan and that all of God’s promises to national Israel will be fulfilled. (Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 17:7; Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:25-29)

We practice  the worship of God in a spiritual way. Therefore, we remain flexible and yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit to direct our worship.(John 14:26; John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13; 1 John 2:27)

We practice the worship of God in an inspirational way. Therefore, we give great place to music in our worship. (Psalm 149:1-3; Psalm 150:1-6; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16)

We practice the worship of God in an intelligent way. Therefore, our services are designed with great emphasis upon the verse by verse teaching of the Word of God that He might instruct us on who He is and how He should be worshiped. (Nehemiah 8:8; Acts 17:2; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Timothy 4:1-2)

We practice the worship of God in a fruitful way. Therefore, we teach that Christians are known by their love for one another and their obedience to the commands of Christ and therefore seek to exhort our brothers and sisters to walk worthy of their calling and may exercise church discipline if unrepentant sin persists, especially in areas of leadership. (John 14:15; John 14:21; Ephesians 4:1-3; James 1:21-25; James 2:18; 1 John 2:5-6. Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 1 Timothy 5:19-21)

We practice a form of church governance where the senior pastor is led and ruled by the Lord and the word of God in order to discover the mind and will of Jesus Christ for His church. A board of directors advises the pastor in regards to business operations, including property management, investments, and financial decisions and also brings a layer of accountability to the church. Complementing the senior pastor within the body are the assisting pastors, who minister to the spiritual needs of the congregation on a daily basis as well as other elders that are raised up to assist in the care of the church. All leadership in and around Roots Church is held to the standard set forth in the Holy Scriptures.(Exodus 18:20-22, Numbers 11:14-17; Acts 14:23; 1 Peter 5:1-5; 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9.)