What We Believe

 

Welcome to IMPACT ROCK CHURCH! Our online booklet, “Coming to Community,” is designed to help you explore our church community and understand our journey. To navigate it, click on the sections that interest you, such as our origins, core values, culture, and vision. We have thoughtfully filled each section with engaging content and visuals that illustrate who we are and what we stand for. We hope this booklet inspires you to find fulfillment in being a part of the Impact Rock community.

>>> Click here to download a PDF version of IMPACT ROCK CHURCH’s “Coming to Community” booklet (10.3 MB). <<<

 
 
 
 
 
 

What We Believe

The Trinity

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe and exists eternally as three co-equal persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Although each member of the Trinity serves different functions, they possess equal power and authority (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:9-11).

Atonement

Christ’s vicarious death on the cross paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world, but its benefits are only applicable to those who receive Jesus as their personal Savior. Healing — body, soul, and spirit — and all of God’s provisions for His saints, are provided for in the atonement, but these must be appropriated.

Salvation

Salvation comes from believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was crucified on the cross, died, and rose from the dead as a sufficient payment for man's sins. Salvation is a free gift from God to all and cannot be earned through our own efforts. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ can we be saved from an eternal separation from God. Eternal life begins the moment you receive Jesus into your life through faith (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9).

ETERNITY

We were created to exist forever, with "forever" spent in one of two places: heaven or hell. Spending eternity in heaven means being in perfect union with God, while an eternity in hell means being forever separated from God (John 5:24; 2 Thessalonians 1:9).

THE BIBLE

The Bible is God's holy written word, comprised of the Old and New Testaments and written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the ultimate source of truth for Christians, giving testimonies of God's character, stories of Jesus Christ's life and ministry, and instruction and wisdom for daily life (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

WATER Baptism

Water baptism by immersion is a confession by the believer in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and an expression of faith and obedience to His command (Matthew 28:19; Acts 19:1-6).

Communion

The breaking of bread is called communion or the Lord's Supper, where bread and the cup symbolize celebrating and remembering Jesus' sacrifice. We make communion available every Sunday (Luke 22:18-20).

the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He lives in every believer from the moment of salvation, provides the Christian with the understanding of spiritual truth, and guides them in truth and doing what is right. His presence assures us of our relationship with God. He comforts, makes us more like Christ, and enables believers to produce the fruit of the Spirit and to operate in spiritual gifts (John 16:7-13; Acts 1:8).

Baptism in the Holy Spirit

We believe the need for the Holy Spirit’s power and presence in a believer’s life is as critical today as it was in the day of the Apostles. We do not teach a dispensational view of the Holy Spirit’s power and the expression of gifts. Rather we hold the position, supported by Scripture, that the Holy Spirit’s presence and power are for every believer until Jesus returns.

Eschatology

We affirm the bodily, personal, second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the saints, the millennium, and the final judgment. The final judgment will determine the eternal status of both the saints and the unbelievers, determined by their relationship to Jesus Christ. We affirm with the Bible the final state of the new heavens and the new earth.

HUMANITY

Humanity was made in the image of God and created to be in a perfect relationship with Him. We were separated from God through our disobedience, which the Bible calls sin. We cannot regain a right relationship with God through our efforts, so God sent his Son, Jesus, to take the penalty for our sin so that we may be reconciled with God (Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:23).

VIRGIN BIRTH

Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was fully God and fully man, was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary and is the Savior of the world (Luke 1:34-35; Isaiah 7:14).

CALLING

All Christians are called to a life of godly character, devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, and fulfilling the great commission to be ambassadors of reconciliation to God (Ephesians 5:1-2; 2 Corinthians 7:1).

The Church

The Church is the Body of Christ, a community of believers unified through faith in Jesus and committed to His teachings, as found in the Bible. Members of the Church are commissioned to share the hope of Christ with the world through love, good deeds, and the message of the Gospel. The Church operates under the headship of Jesus Christ, with Pastors/Elders leading the people toward faithfulness in Him under the governance of Scripture. Both men and women should be encouraged and equipped to use their spiritual gifts to serve God in the Church (Matthew 16:18-19; Acts 2:42-47).

Soul Care & Freedom Ministry

Jesus ministered to the broken and needy and had an ability to deeply address the real needs of people He dealt with. He provided all that people needed to move out from under the dominion of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of God. As Jesus proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, His ministry was characterized by teaching about the kingdom and instruction regarding life as a kingdom resident. Along with this teaching, Jesus provided demonstrations of power evidencing the kingdom at work among the people. It was His stated task to reclaim what was lost (Luke 19:10) and to undo the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

ROLES

Within the Trinity, the persons of God have different roles, and the Son is under the leadership of the Father. This submission displays honor, and we strive to be like Christ and honor Him in submitting to one another. God gave men the primary responsibility to lead the family, following the servant-leadership and sacrificial love and respect characterized by Christ. As men and women, our roles are different, and differing responsibilities exist within those roles. Different, not better. Men and women were created equally in God's image and are spiritually equal as heirs in Christ, with equal access to God. As such, both men's and women's leadership and decision-making should benefit the church (Ephesians 5:20-33; Acts 2:14-18; Judges 4:8-9).

Marriage & Sex

God created mankind as male and female. Marriage is between one man and one woman and is the picture of the covenantal relationship between Christ and the Church. Every person was created for intimate, loving relationships, but sexual intimacy is God's gift for marriage (Genesis 1:27; Ephesians 5:22-33; Genesis 2:24).

 
 
 
 

Our Culture

HONOR

  • Joyfully outdo one another in showing honor. We revel in the fun challenge of honoring each other so intensely that it borders on competitive. (Romans 12:9-10)

GENEROSITY

  • Thrive in the freedom of selfless generosity. God perfectly models generosity to us, and we follow His lead. Being generous in every way is liberating: money, time, worship, affection, friendship, stuff...

FRIENDSHIP

  • Quickly love people with genuine friendship. We aren't looking for more church attendees but more people with whom we can forge amazing friendships, with Jesus at the center. Loving God the most helps us love others best.

SURRENDER

  • Yield to the Holy Spirit. Yield to the Holy Spirit. When we give the Holy Spirit the room, He reminds us of every incredible thing found in God's phenomenal presence. Sunday morning planning is essential, and patient flexibility is too.

INVITATION

  • Frequently invite Jesus in. Even though He is always there, inviting Jesus into the everyday moments, the good and the bad, is life-changing. He calls out and knocks, we open and ask Him in, and He wonderfully affects everything. (Revelation 3:20)

Truth before Tradition

  • What we see in the Scriptures always supersedes any tradition. Our theology fashions our behavior, not the other way around.

Wild but not Weird

  • We’re often called by God to do things that may make us uncomfortable and don’t fit in with our culture. God will never contradict what we can see in the Bible (He’ll never tell us to do something immoral), but we even see that Jesus did many things that could be seen as pretty wild.

Everything Else

  • When it comes to other doctrines and beliefs, we follow this simple commandment – LOVE! 
    “If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.” – 1 Corinthians 13:2