OUR BELIEFS

Love God, Love People, Live it out






What We Believe

Statement of Beliefs

The Scriptures

We believe that the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments are the verbally inspired Word of God. Though the Bible was written through men, these men wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 2:21) so that these writings are without error (2 Timothy 3:16) in the originals and are authoritative in all matters.


The Triune God

We believe there is one and only one living and true God (Deuteronomy 6:4). God is an intelligent, spiritual and personal Being who is infinite in holiness and perfect in every way. God is all powerful and all knowing and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. God eter- nally exists in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19). These three are one in essence, equal in power and glory, but distinct in person and function.


Jesus Christ

We believe Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and became Man (Luke 1:34-35), without ceasing to be God. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life, and died on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). We believe that He rose from the dead bodily in fulfillment of the Scriptures (Psalm 16:10; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4). We believe that He ascended into heaven where He lives forever as God and Man making intercession for us as High Priest (Hebrews 9:23-28).


Mankind

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as a male or female and that these two distinct, equally valuable and complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimen- sions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect and value all human life. (Psalm 139). We believe that despite being created in the image of God, that he sinned, and thereby incurred, not only physical death, but also that spiritual death which is separation from God (Genesis 3:19); and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners in thought, word, and deed (Romans 3:23; 5:12). Furthermore we believe that God is the Creator of the Universe and of every living thing (Genesis 1:1; Romans 1:20). Neither man nor any living creature “evolved” or are “evolving” into any different form than that which He originally made them.


Salvation Through Christ Alone

We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ as the Only means to eternal life with God are born again of, and indwelt by, the Holy Spirit, thereby becoming the children of God (John 1:12; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9- 10). Once a person believes in Jesus as Savior, they are eternally secure in their salvation (John 10:28-30; Romans 8:38- 39; Ephesians 1:13-14).


The Bodily Resurrection

We believe in the bodily resurrection, (2 Corinthians 4:14), the future eternal hope of Glory for those who have been regenerated in Christ, and the eternal punishment of those outside of Christ (Revelation 20:11-15).


Christian Life

We believe that all Christians (those who have received Jesus Christ by faith) are called into holy, Spirit-filled living (1 Peter 1:15-16; Galatians 5:16). This would require being in-tune with God's Word and Spirit, and abstaining from sinful, worldly practices that are in contrast with what God says (1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Romans 1:26-27).


The "Blessed Hope"

We believe in “that blessed hope” (Titus 2:13) the personal, imminent and pre-millennial return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:11-20:6).


The Church

We believe that the church, the Body of Christ, is made up of all who truly believe (Romans 12:5; Ephesians 4:4-6; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13), who have been born again of the Spirit (John 3:3-5). We believe that the local church is an as- sembly of professing, baptized believers in Jesus Christ who join together for the purpose of carrying out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). We believe that the local church is a self-governing body of believers who are under the authority of the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16) and of Jesus Christ as the head of the Church (Ephesians 1:22).


Baptism

We believe that water baptism by immersion is an ordinance to be observed by believers in obedience to the Lord’scommand (Matthew 28:19). We believe baptism is a public proclamation of our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, Jesus Christ, symbolizing our death to sin and our resurrection to new life that occurred when we believed in Christ and were immediately baptized by the Spirit (Romans 6:1-7). Water baptism is not a means to salvation.



Our Vision

We believe that ALL people matter to God and that God wants ALL people in a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore, we at Hickory Creek Church desire...


...to be a church where people at every stage of life can come and be ministered to so that they can minister to others.


...to be a church where we minister to those who are younger and older, in school and out of school, those with kids and without kids, those who work and those who are retired.


...to be a church where "being" the church is more important than "doing" church.....to be a church that glorifies God and exalts the name of Christ in everything we do.


...to be a church that is more interested in where people are heading than in where they have been.


...to be a church that encourages people to take the "next step" of faith and maturity from whatever point they are at.


...to be a church where the healthy help the hurting and the hurting are becoming healthy.


...to be a church where the words "Love God...Love People...Live it out!" is more than just a motto, it is a way of life.

Our Purpose

The purpose of Hickory Creek Community Church is to glorify God by fulfilling the commission given by him as recorded in Matthew 28:19-20. More specifically, we seek to build fully devoted followers of Christ, who are worshiping and growing in their relationship with Christ, fellowshipping with and ministering to the people of Christ, and reaching out in love to those who don't know Christ. This is expressed in our motto to "Love God...Love People...Live it out!" We seek to fulfill our purpose by the following:


Discipleship

We will teach those in the church the fundamental truths of Scripture so they can be equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16).


Worship

We will provide the means for developing and expressing meaningful worship in prayer, songs of praise, adoration, admonishment, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord, and to administer the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper (Hebrews 13:15; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34; Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:42).Loving Hands


Fellowship

We will encourage and provide means of developing meaningful relationships among believers (expressions of sharing and caring for, and loving one another, warning, stimulating, and encouraging one another to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24-25; 13:1-2; Acts 2:42-47)).


Ministry

We will provide the means for developing and exercising spiritual gifts for the edification of the body (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11).


Evangelism

We will train and encourage people to reach out to those around them in action and words so opportunities may be had to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who have never received Him.



To view Hickory Creek Church's Constitution click here.