What We Believe

We operate as a non-denominational contemporary church; however, we are affiliated with the Baptist General Conference, otherwise known as Converge Worldwide.

About God:

God always has been and always will be.  He created life and sustains life.  He has no equal.  He exists in three distinct and equal persons:  the Father, the Son and the Spirit. This reality is often referred to as the Trinity.

Genesis 1:1; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14

About Jesus:

Jesus and God are one, Jesus has always been, and yet he lived on earth during the first century A.D. Throughout his earthly life, he was completely God and completely human. After living a perfect, sinless life, Jesus offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for every human being who has ever lived by dying on a cross.  He remained in the grave for three days and then defeated sin and death, by rising from the grave.  He ascended to heaven and will return to earth one day to reign as King.

Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5′; Hebrews 1:3, 4:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4

About the Holy Spirit:

The Spirit is an equal part of the Trinity. He works in the world to make all people understand their need for Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit lives inside all followers of Jesus from the moment they begin to follow him. The Spirit gives followers of Jesus the strength to live lives that please God.

John 14:16-17; 16:7-13; Acts 1:8;  1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Ephesians 1:13-14

About Man:

Man is the pinnacle of God’s creation and the only being on the earth made in God’s image. Every person, although endowed with the image of God, inherited a disobedient heart from Adam, the very first man.  This disobedience, referred to the Bible as sin, separates man from his Creator. Apart from Jesus, man is spiritually dead.

Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6, 59:2; Romans 3:23, 5:12-21

About Salvation:

Salvation is a gift from God. It is the only way for man to be reunited with the Creator. Salvation cannot be earned. Only by trusting in Jesus and God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin’s penalty of death. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus into his or her life by faith.

John 1:12, 3:16-17, 14:6; Romans 5:1, 6:23; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5

About the Bible:

The Bible reveals God’s character, his plans, and his purpose for our lives. Each book was written by ordinary men who wrote under the direction of the Holy Spirit. It can be completely trusted and is the final source of authority in our lives.

2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 119:11, 105; Proverbs 30:5-6

About the Church:

The church is the body of Christ in the world today. The members of the Church are those who trust by faith the finished work of Christ. The mission of the church is to make disciples. Stone Ridge Community Church personalizes this concept: Our mission is to lead the families of Northeast Iowa to become growing followers of Jesus.

Acts 2:41-47; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Corinthians 12; James 5:13-16; 1 Peter 4:10

About Baptism:

Baptism is the immersion of a believer into water. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior. It illustrates the believer’s death to sin, the burial of his life, and the resurrection into newness of life in Christ Jesus.

John 1:29-34; Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:47-48; Romans 6:3-4

About Communion:

Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is a symbolic act of obedience. When taking part in this ordinance, believers memorialize the death of Jesus and anticipate his second coming.

Matthew 26:26-30; 1 Corinthians 11:23-24

About Eternity:

The Lord Jesus Christ will personally and viibly return to the earth and establish His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgement, and the endless suffering of the wicked.

John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:1-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 25: 31-46; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

About The Christian and Social Order:

All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.

 

Exodus 20:3-17

Leviticus 6:2-5

Deuteronomy 10:12; 27:17

Psalm 101:5

Micah 6:8

Zechariah 8:16

Matthew 5:13-16,43-48; 22:36-40; 25:35

Mark 1:29-34; 2:3ff.; 10:21

Luke 4:18-21; 10:27-37; 20:25

John 15:12; 17:15

Romans 12–14; 1

Corinthians 5:9-10; 6:1-7; 7:20-24; 10:23-11:1

Galatians 3:26-28

Ephesians 6:5-9

Colossians 3:12-17

1 Thessalonians 3:12

Philemon

James 1:27; 2:8