Our Statement of Faith

The statement of faith does not cover the full extent of our faith. The Bible itself is our sole and final authority of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the statement of faith accurately represents the teachings of the Bible and, therefore is binding upon all members, staff, and volunteers. All literature, whether print or electronic; shall be in complete agreement with the statement of faith. All activities permitted and performed in any facilities owned, rented, or leased by the church, or engaged in by any member of the church staff (volunteer or paid) and all decisions of the administration of this church shall not conflict with the Statement of Faith. In all conflicts regarding the interpretation of the Statement of Faith, the pastor(s) and Church Council, on behalf of the church, have the final authority.

Lebanon Methodist Church is a body of Christian believers who trust in Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior, and who profess the historical Christian faith as recorded in the Holy Scriptures.

We believe in one God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures by the name יהוה (Yehōvāh) which is translated as “LORD” in most English bibles. He is the Eternal Father, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. He existed before time began and willexist after the final hour. He is the self-existent One, the great “I AM” and above Him is no other.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us and for oursalvation, He came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, He became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and wasmade truly man. For our sake, He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death through physical crucifixion andwas buried. On the third day, He bodily arose in accordance with the Holy Scriptures; He ascended into heaven and isseated at the right hand of the Father. We confess that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and resurrected Lord of heaven and earth (Matthew 16:16-19). He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.With the Father and the Son, He is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. He was promised bythe Father through the Son to the Church to be Teacher, Helper, and Comforter. He is the Spirit of Truth, which teaches usall things, and brings to remembrance all that Jesus has said. The Holy Spirit comes into the world to convict the world ofsin and guide us in all truth. (John 14-16).

We believe that the Holy Scriptures were given to the church as our tutor and guide (Gal. 3:24). The Bible itself is our sole and final authority of all that we believe. It is the source of God’s truthand the lamp for our journey of faith (Psalm 119:105). We believe that all Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness so that, every follower of God may be adequate and equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

We believe in one holy universal and apostolic Church.Because we are part of the Church universal, we participate in two holy sacraments: the sacrament of baptism and the sacrament of communion. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. For us, baptism is our initiation intothe family of God and His promise of life abundant. In Christ, we partake of the sacrament of Holy Communion, where our Lord charged His followers to, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” In this act, we remember His new covenant between Christ and the Church as we break the bread and drink the wine which was initiated at the last supper. We look forward tothe resurrection of the dead, and the life eternal in the kingdom to come. Amen.

We believe that every person, born and unborn, has by God’s hand been weaved into their mother’s womb and their inward parts formed by His hand therefore their life is sacred in God’s eyes (Psalm 139:13). We carry God’s fingerprints upon us; created in His image (Gen.1:26), and yet we are all of Adam’s seed, corrupted by sin, therefore all persons are in need of a Savior (Romans3:23). But God, rich in loving-kindness and full of mercy gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ so “that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).” “But God, being rich in mercy, because of Hisgreat love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (bygrace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, sothat in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph 2:4-9)

The gift of grace is available to all persons. Our Father in Heaven is not willing thatany should be lost (Matthew 18:14), but that all may come to “the knowledge of truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). We affirm the proclamation found in Romans 10:9, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”2.09 – We believe that human sexuality is a gift of God that is to be affirmed as it is exercised within the legal and spiritual covenant of a loving and monogamous marriage between one biological man and one biological woman (Genesis 1:27, 2:24; Exodus 20:14, Matthew 19:3-9, Ephesians 5:22-33). Marriage ceremonies performed in any facility or space owned, leased, or rented by this church will be only those ceremonies sanctioned by God, joining one biological man with one biological woman (as their genders were determined by anatomy at birth and not subject to change). Whenever there is a conflict between the church’s position and any new legal standard for marriage, the Church’s statement of faith, doctrines and biblical positions will govern.

We believe God creates each person as biological male or biological female. These two distinct, unchangeable genders together reflect the image and nature of God, and the rejection of one’s biological gender is a rejection of the image of God.(Genesis 1:26-27, Psalm 139:13-14)

We believe that all persons irrespective of his or her circumstances in life have been made in the image of God and must be treated with dignity, justice, and respect. We denounce as sin: racism, sexism, and other expressions that unjustly discriminate against any person. We also believe that speaking the truth in love (that isfacts based in reality) is not sin or discrimination, but in fact something we are called to do (Genesis 1-2; Deuteronomy16:19-20; Luke 11:42, 19:9; Colossians 3:11).

We believe that life is a holy gift of God whose beginnings and endings are set by God, and that it is the particular duty of believers to protect those who may be powerless to protect themselves, including the unborn, those that have not yet reached the age of maturity, those with disabilities or serious illness, and the aged (Genesis 2:7, Leviticus 19:32, Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139, Luke 1:41-44).

We believe that children and vulnerable adults are from the Lord and should be protected within the church from any form of abuse or molestation. The church has zero tolerance for any person, whether paid staff, volunteer, member, or visitor, who abuses or molests a child or vulnerable adult (Psalm 127:3-5; Matthew 18:6, 19:14; Mark 10:14).

The sacredness of all life compels us to resist the practice of abortion except in the cases of tragic conflicts of life against life when the well-being of the mother and the child are at stake. We do not accept abortion as a means of birth control or gender selection, and we call upon all Christians as disciples of the Lord of Life to prayerfully consider how we can support those women facing unintended pregnancies without adequate care, counsel, or resources (Exodus 22:23-23, Psalm 139:13-14, James1:27).

We are saddened by all expressions of immoral sexual behavior, including pornography, polygamy, and promiscuity, that do not recognize the sacred worth of each individual or that seek to exploit, abuse, objectify, or degrade others, or that represent less than God’s intentional design for His children. While affirming the scriptural view of sexuality and gender, we welcome all to experience the redemptive grace of Jesus and are committed to being a safe place of refuge, hospitality, and healing for any who may have experienced brokenness in their sexual lives (Genesis 1:27,Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:3-9, 1 Corinthians 6:9-20).

We believe that each person should have the right to exercise his or her religious beliefs without fear of persecution and that governments should respect freedom of religion and the important role of faith communities within the greater society. We further denounce discrimination or persecution which may target any because of their gender, economic status, ethnic or tribal identity, age, or political views (Isaiah 1:17, Matthew 5:44, Romans 8:35)

We believe that followers of God have been called to exercise self-control andholiness in their personal lives, generosity and kindness in their relations with others, and grace in all matters of life(Romans 12:9-21, 2 Timothy 1:7, Galatians 5:22-23).

We believe in the final triumph of righteousness when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of Christ, and we accept our calling to work towards that end as Christ’s light and the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13-16, Revelation 11:15-17, Revelation 21-22).

We believe thatChristians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits within the church. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander (Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32).