OPEN DOOR MISSION STATEMENT

We exist as a church to offer individuals and families a place where they can experience God, be accepted into a spiritual family, and be empowered by Biblical truth to make the most of their lives in this world and the world to come.

Open Door Core Values

Acceptance:

We value accepting people “as they are” and allowing them to grow at their own pace as they develop Christlike character as revealed in the Bible.

Celebration:

We value freedom in the Holy Spirit in our services and allow people to worship and celebrate in a way that uniquely expresses their love and passion for Jesus.

Community:

We value the church as a spiritual community where individuals and families can do life together in a true alternative culture reflecting the Kingdom of God.

Empowerment:

We value empowering people with Biblical truth for every area of their lives by focusing on these five key components: (1) Spiritual Peace, (2) Familial Strength, (3) Occupational Stability (4) Relational Harmony and (5) Physical/Mental Health

Doctrinal Beliefs

GOD

We believe in the one triune God revealed in the Bible; God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit, Three in One.

JESUS CHRIST

We believe Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, fully divine yet fully human. He was born on earth of the Virgin Mary, sinless in life, died substitutionally for our sin, rose from the dead on the third day, ascended into heaven, and is presently seated at the right hand of God making intercession for the Saints until the day He returns to earth.

HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the Holy Spirit as the third member of the triune Godhead who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come. The Holy Spirit regenerates, sanctifies, and empowers the believer for Christ-like character and with gifts for serving others.

THE BIBLE

We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God and the believer’s standard for faith and practice.

SIN

We believe Adam and Eve were created in the image of God but disobeyed and became subject to the curse of sin. Therefore, all human beings as the offspring of Adam and Eve are born sinners and commit sins as a result.

SALVATiON

We believe that salvation is exclusively through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ, alone, and is activated in the life of a believer by the Holy Spirit when they take responsibility for sin, renounce self-determination and seek forgiveness from God.

THE CHURCH

We believe the church is expressed globally and locally as a society of people who voluntarily surrender their personal rights and freedoms to live by a Biblical moral code having trusted Christ for salvation. The church is God’s primary instrument to establish His Kingdom on earth as an alternative culture to those of the world.

CHRIST’S RETURN

We believe Jesus Christ will physically return to earth one day. His full and complete purposes for humanity will be manifest at that time through His rule on the earth, which will include the Saints. While there are many viewpoints concerning His second coming, we believe Christians should live in such a way that we are always ready for His appearing which will occasion the bodily resurrection of the righteous who have died and who are presently with Him in Paradise.

JUDGEMENT

We believe in a final judgment at the end of the age. The righteous and the wicked will stand before God and be judged by Him. Those who have righteousness produced by faith will be awarded with the privilege of ruling with Him and enjoying his eternal blessings. Those who are wicked will be eternally punished in Hell.

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

We believe in the operation of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned and modeled in the Bible. Each gift should be operated in love, under Christ’s Lordship, in faith, and under biblical authority. These gifts are initiated and directed by the Holy Spirit in humility to serve other people. We desire both the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit individually and corporately.

MEMBERSHIP

We believe that when a person receives salvation, they automatically become a member of the Family of God, the Body of Christ and the Church universal. We believe that such membership should be expressed by participating in a local congregation. Church membership, therefore, is offered as a way to publicly commit and connect to the Open Door family and as a way of making clear a person’s intentions to be shepherded by our pastoral staff.

VOLUNTEERING

We believe that it is essential for every Christian to follow Christ’s example of serving others. Therefore, we ask those who have accepted membership at Open Door to volunteer somewhere in the church.

CHRISTIAN LIVING

We believe that Christian living should reflect a wholehearted commitment to the values, priorities and perspectives of Jesus Christ and His Apostles as expressed in the New Testament.

FINANCIAL GIVING

We believe the Church should be supported by the tithes and offerings of those committed to its mission. We further believe that when people serve God with a generous heart, there will be financial abundance to accomplish the purposes of God.

CIVIL AUTHORITY

We believe God is the ultimate authority in the universe and has given personal rights to all human beings that must be recognized and protected by civil government. This responsibility has been sovereignly granted to civil government by God to accomplish this purpose in the jurisdictions of earth.

MARRIAGE & FAMILY

We believe God created human beings as male and female for the purpose of becoming one flesh in marriage and for reproduction. Therefore, we believe that marriage exclusively applies to two people biologically compatible to bear children. Any other form of cohabitation, civil union, or sexual relationship, or presentation outside the limits of this definition, will receive pastoral attention to help lovingly guide people into these Biblical parameters.

THE APOSTLES CREED

I believe in God the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there, He will judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy church, the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.