All of our work at The Ridge Church is focused on Real Life Change.

We believe that change comes from a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.  That's why we teach God's word, the Bible, in a way you can understand; believing God will use it to change your life.  As Christ-followers, we are focused on loving and serving each other and taking that experience into our community.  The most important thing about any of us is our relationship with God.  We believe we were created by God, but choose to rebel against His loving authority.  God's punishment for our rebellion is eternal death—a punishment we all deserve.  But there is hope through salvation in Jesus Christ.  Therefore, here is what we believe about the following:

 

The Word of God... We believe both the Old and New Testament scriptures, as preserved, are the inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of God.  All complete and sufficient, and are authoritative for faith and practice in the believers relationship with God.

 

The One True God... The Bible teaches of the one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Three distinct persons but without division of nature, essence or being.  

 

The Lord, Jesus Christ... The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the second person of the Triune God.  Because God loves us, He sent Jesus into the world.  Jesus never rebelled against God, but obeyed Him perfectly by dying in our place for our rebellion.  But Jesus did not stay dead.  After three days God raised Him to life, and He returned to heaven.  One day Jesus will return to judge the world.  If you trust in Jesus for the payment for your sins you will be forgiven.  That trust restores us to the relationship with God that we were created to have, and means the difference between heaven and hell.

 

The Holy Spirit... We believe the Holy Spirit is the third divine person of the Trinity that instantaneously and supernaturally indwells the hearts of those that receive the Lord Jesus as Savior.  He regenerates, seals, anoints, guides, teaches and baptizes all believers into the Body of Christ.  The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.

 

Baptism... We practice baptism by immersing a Christ-follower in water.  Doing this is an act of obedience, making a public statement that the old way of living has died, and a new life in Christ has begun.  Baptism by immersion is a required step in the membership process at The Ridge.  Baptism is a very important step to be taken once in each believer's life.  We baptize people regularly upon request, but ask that you meet with a pastor beforehand to discuss your relationship with God and the significance of this practice. Because of these beliefs, we do not baptize infants.  Instead we offer a Child Dedication, where we pray for the child and their parents during a worship service, dedicating the child to God and committing ourselves to helping raise him or her in a godly way. 

 

Communion... We believe communion is a symbolic act of obedience where believers remember the death of Jesus Christ and anticipate His second coming.  We hold communion services occasionally during our weekend services.  Communion is open to everyone who has a personal relationship with Christ.  This includes children under their parent's supervision.

 

Marriage... We believe God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society.  It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.  We believe marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in a covenant commitment for a lifetime.  Marriage is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman, a framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.

 

Worship... We usually refer to the singing time in our weekend services as worship, but there's a lot more to it than that.  In reality, worship can and should describe all of our lives.  Worship is anything we do in response to God and what He has done for us.  So that should include everything: our work or school, relationships and serving.  There are particular things we can do together as a church which can strengthen our sense of being with God.  The most obvious thing is singing together in our weekend services.  We work to keep our services free from distraction and choose songs we believe will help you focus on God.

 

Giving... As individuals we can grow in our spiritual disciplines of Bible study, fellowship and prayer.  We also believe giving our financial gifts, or a tithe, to God is worship as well.  While we don't "pass the plate" we do believe it is the responsibility and a privilege of members and regular attendees to give.