At Barn Church, we are committed to the historic Christian faith revealed in Scripture and centered upon the person and work of Jesus Christ.
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God and the final authority for what we believe and how we live. Scripture is our ultimate standard for doctrine, faith, and practice.
Throughout its history, the Church has summarized the essential doctrines of the Christian faith through creeds and confessions. We stand in agreement with the historic, orthodox Christian faith expressed in the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed, and Chalcedonian Creed. We affirm these historic creeds as boundary markers for orthodoxy within the Christian faith.
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each Person is fully God, co-equal and co-eternal, yet there is one God. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
We believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, who sovereignly rules over all things in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, and love. Through Jesus Christ, those who believe are reconciled to the Father and adopted into His family as sons and daughters. (Genesis 1:1; Matthew 6:9; John 3:16; Romans 8:14-17; Ephesians 1:3-5)
We believe Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived without sin, was crucified for our sins, died and was buried, and on the third day rose bodily from the dead. He ascended into heaven and now reigns at the right hand of the Father. (John 1:1, 14; Matthew 1:18-23; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Philippians 2:5-11)
We believe the Holy Spirit is fully God and is actively at work in the world and in the Church. He glorifies Jesus Christ, convicts of sin, brings new birth, indwells believers, sanctifies God's people, guides us into truth, and empowers the Church to continue the mission of Jesus. (John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7-15; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9-16)
We believe God created all things, visible and invisible, through His wisdom and power, for His purposes and His glory. (Genesis 1:1, 31; Colossians 1:16-17; Revelation 4:11)
We believe every human being is created in the image of God and possesses inherent dignity and value. Humanity was created for relationship with God, but through sin we have become alienated from Him. Since the fall of humanity in Genesis 3, all people are sinners by nature and are in need of salvation. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3)
We believe salvation is the gift of God, given by grace and received through faith in Jesus Christ. In Him we receive forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, freedom from the power of sin and darkness, and the promise of healing and restoration. While we experience and pursue His healing and restoring power in this present age, we eagerly await its fullness in the resurrection when Christ returns and makes all things new. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5:1-2; Colossians 1:13-14; Colossians 2:13-15; Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:16-17; 1 Peter 2:24; Romans 8:18-25; Revelation 21:1-5)
We believe in one holy, universal, and apostolic Church, made up of all who belong to Jesus Christ. The Church is called to worship God, make disciples, proclaim the gospel, love one another, pursue holiness, and bear witness to the Kingdom of God throughout the world. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:42-47; Ephesians 2:19-22; Ephesians 4:1-6)
We believe Jesus gave His Church the sacraments of water baptism and the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion). (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38-42; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
We believe Jesus Christ will personally and bodily return in glory. The dead will be raised, Christ will judge the living and the dead, Satan will finally be defeated, and God's people will dwell with Him forever in the renewed creation. (Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 21:1-5)
We believe in the reality of both heaven and hell. Those who belong to Jesus Christ will enjoy eternal life in the presence of God, while those who remain separated from Christ will face eternal judgment and separation from God. Our ultimate Christian hope is the resurrection of the dead and everlasting life with God in the new heavens and new earth. (Matthew 25:31-46; John 3:16-18; John 5:28-29; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 21:1-5)
While the historic creeds establish the boundaries of Christian orthodoxy, Scripture speaks to many areas of Christian belief and practice beyond what the creeds explicitly address. The following convictions help describe how Barn Church understands and seeks to faithfully live according to the Scriptures.
We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are inspired by God, trustworthy and authoritative, and the final standard for our doctrine and practice. Every teaching, spiritual experience, prophetic word, tradition, and practice of the Church must ultimately be tested by and submitted to the Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Acts 17:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22)
We believe every human life bears the image of God and therefore possesses inherent dignity and worth. Human life is sacred and should be protected, valued, and loved from the womb through every stage of life. (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 139:13-16; Luke 1:39-44; James 3:9)
We believe God created humanity male and female in His image and established marriage as a covenantal union between one man and one woman. We believe God's design for sexual intimacy is within the covenant of marriage and that followers of Jesus are called to honor God with their bodies and pursue holiness in every area of sexuality.
At the same time, we believe every person is created in God's image and should be treated with dignity, compassion, and love, and that the grace of Jesus Christ is offered freely to all who come to Him. (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:4-6; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20; Ephesians 5:25-33)
We believe the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit are never at odds. The same Spirit who inspired the Scriptures continues to lead, empower, and equip the Church today. Therefore, we seek to embrace the fullness of the Spirit’s work while submitting everything we believe and practice to the authority and guardrails of God’s Word. We intentionally make room for the Holy Spirit to move among us in our gatherings. We believe everything the Holy Spirit does will ultimately glorify Jesus Christ and will never contradict the written Word of God. (John 16:13-14; Acts 1:8; Acts 4:29-31; Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:16, 25; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18-21; 1 Corinthians 14:1; Acts 2:4; Acts 4:31; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
We believe scripture calls believers to be filled with the Spirit, to walk by the Spirit, and to minister through the power He supplies. We believe all gifts of the Holy Spirit described in Scripture remain available to the Church and will continue until the return of Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit sovereignly distributes His gifts among believers for the glory of Jesus Christ, the building up of His Church, and the advancement of His Kingdom until He returns. Therefore, we desire and pursue all the gifts of the Spirit, including prophecy, healing, teaching, service, leadership, discernment, tongues and interpretation, and the various other gifts described throughout the New Testament.
We seek these gifts eagerly while practicing them humbly, biblically, and in an orderly manner, always testing everything according to Scripture and pursuing love above all. (1 Corinthians 1:4-9; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 1 Corinthians 13:8-12; 1 Corinthians 14:1, 26-33, 39-40; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; 1 Peter 4:10-11; Romans 12:4-8 )
We recognize that faithful Christians who wholeheartedly affirm the historic Christian faith may disagree about important but secondary matters.
Our unity is ultimately found in Jesus Christ, not in complete agreement on every theological position.
We therefore distinguish between core doctrines, which define the Christian faith; biblical convictions, which shape our teaching and practice as a local church; and tertiary matters, on which sincere followers of Jesus may reach different conclusions while remaining brothers and sisters in Christ.
We seek to hold firmly to the truth of Scripture while walking with humility, charity, and love toward those with whom we disagree. (Romans 14:1-13; Ephesians 4:1-6; 2 Timothy 2:23-25; Jude 3)