What We Believe

Ignite Church believes that doctrine is more than just teaching, instruction and suggestions; it is the governing authority and supremacy of the Word of God that presides over the Church. Therefore, IGNITE CHURCH submits its church to the teachings of Christ, who authored and affirmed the scriptures we now adhere to.  The programs and activities governing the form of worship of this Church shall be based upon and at all times be consistent with the following creed and beliefs:

We believe we are the church and God's Kingdom on the earth. We are to be the expression of His love and produce fruits of righteousness through the Holy Spirit housed in us. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd and Senior Pastor. He said that He would build His Church and we strive to follow Him in that.  1 Peter 2:9 (says about the church) that you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. (Matt. 16:18; II Cor. 3:1; I Cor. 3:16)

The Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is the product of holy men of old who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. We accept the New Covenant, as recorded in the New Testament, as our infallible guide in matters pertaining to conduct and doctrine. (2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21).

We believe God gave the Law to: Show humanity their sin; Produce brokenness and the realization that there is nothing you can do in and of yourself to fix the sin that is revealed; and to drive you to Christ and experience love, grace and acceptance. We believe that Jesus expressed the heart of God when he summed up the law with Matthew 22:36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied:  "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Rom.3:20; Gal.3:23-25; Matt.5:21-23)

Our God is one, but manifested in three Persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, being co-equal. (Deut. 6:4; Phil. 2:6) God the Father is greater than all; the Sender of the Word (Logos) and the Begetter. (John 14:28; John 16:28; John 1:14) The Son is the Word flesh-covered, the One Begotten, and has existed with the Father from the beginning. (John 1:1; John 1:18; John 1:14)  The Holy Spirit proceeds forth from both the Father and the Son and is eternal. (John 14:16; John 15:26)God has a plan and purpose for each person's life and desires relationship, fellowship and intimacy with us.

Man is a created being, made in the likeness and image of God, but through Adam's transgression and fall, sin came into the world. The Bible says "...all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God," and "...There is none righteous, no, not one." (Rom. 3:10; 3:23)Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was manifested to undo the works of the devil. He gave His life and shed His blood to redeem and restore man back to God. (Rom. 5:14; 1 John 3:8)Salvation is the gift of God to man, separate from works and the Law, and is made operative by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, producing works acceptable to God. (Eph. 2:8-10)

The New Birth-Man's first step toward salvation is Godly sorrow that brings repentance. The New Birth is necessary to all men, and when experienced, produces eternal life. (2 Cor. 7:10; John 3:3-5; 1 John 5:12) Eternal life is to be experienced through relationship with God in this life and will continue into eternity.

The Bible teaches that without Holiness no man can see the Lord. We believe that at Salvation there is a definite heart change and we are reconciled to God. The Holy Spirit does a re-creative work and indeed we are born again. We are empowered for Godly living through the Holy Spirit. We believe that there is a definite and progressive process of transformation, sanctification and renewal of the mind that will incrementally change us into the image of God until the consummation of salvation at Christ's return. (Rom. 12:1-2; Heb. 12:14; 1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Cor. 3:17-18; Phil. 3:12-14; 1 Cor. 1:30)

We believe Godly repentance will lead us to leave a lifestyle of sin to pursue righteousness with God. Many times Jesus and others associated baptism with repentance. Water baptism is an outward declaration and celebration of an inward work of repentance.  Baptism in water, is by immersion, is a direct commandment of our Lord, and is for believers only. The ordinance is a symbol of the Christian's identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12; Acts 8:36-39)

The following recommendation regarding the water baptismal formula is adopted: "On the confession of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and by His authority, I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen."

We believe in both the resurrection of the lost and the saved: the lost into eternal damnation and separation from God; the saved into eternal life in the presence of God. Jesus said "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also." His coming is imminent. (John 14:1-4; Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17)  The one who physically dies in his sins without accepting Christ is hopelessly and eternally lost in the lake of fire, and therefore has no further opportunity of hearing the Gospel or repenting. The lake of fire is literal. The terms "eternal" and "everlasting," used in describing the duration of the punishment of the damned in the lake of fire, carry the same thought and meaning of endless existence as used in denoting the duration of joy and ecstasy of saints in the presence of God. (Heb. 9:27; Rev. 19:20)

We partake of the Lord’s Supper to show the Lord’s death till He comes (I Corinthians 11:23-31). The bread symbolizes the Lord’s broken body (Isaiah 53:5; I Corinthians 11:24). The cup represents the new covenant in His blood which provides us with forgiveness and relationship with God (Hebrews 9; I Corinthians 11:25). We judge ourselves and realize that this is our salvation and receive it (I Corinthians 11:28-30) for if we receive it unworthily, without giving it honor as our salvation, we are guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord (I Corinthians 11:27).

We believe all the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit, explained in the New Testament, are available and in operation in the body of Christ today. Jesus declared in Acts 1:8 that we need to be empowered to be His witnesses to the world. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would be with us and in us. This empowerment is accompanied by many outward manifestations and signs that Jesus said would follow those who believe. (I Corinthians 12; Mark 16:15-20; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-4; Galatians 5:22; John 14:16-18; John 16:12-15)

We believe that Jesus commands us to go and share the good news of His love for humanity. Our daily lives are a mission to introduce and reconcile people to God. Everything we are as believers should come from the Love of God that transformed our lives. Everything we do as believers should center on the Great Commission fueled by His love in our transformed hearts. (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20; John 20:21-22; II Cor. 5:17-18)

We believe that the term 'marriage' has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture.
We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, prostitution, rape, or any attempt to change one's sex, or disagreement with one's biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God.
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with scripture nor the doctrines of the church. (Genesis 2:24, Ephesians 5:32-33, Matthew 19:4-6, I Corinthians 6:9; 7:1-2, Romans 1:26-27, Leviticus 18:22)

We believe in the sanctity of human life, that God determines the boundaries of life and holds in His hands the two fragile ends of human experience. He is active in the conception of life and the conclusion of life, in birth and in death. This truth imparts extraordinary value to every life, independent of gender, race, socioeconomic position, age, or health status. Those who hold to biblical creation must attach great worth to human life and will stand in its defense.
We believe the sanctity of human life as established by God the Creator and believe that such sanctity extends to all people including the child not yet born, mentally and physically challenged, and those who are at the conclusion of their life here on earth. Life is a gift from God and should be afforded to Him.
All human life, including life developing in the womb, is created by God in His image and is, therefore, to be nurtured, supported, and protected. From the moment of conception, a child is a human being with all of the developing characteristics of human life, and this life is dependent on the mother for its continued development. Therefore, we believe that human life must be respected and protected from the moment of conception. Therefore the church calls for persons to practice the ethic of the New Testament as it bears upon human sexuality and to deal with the issue of abortion by placing it within the larger framework of biblical principles that provide guidance for moral decision making.
Ignite Church also recognizes that many have been affected by the tragedy of abortion. Each local congregation and individual believer is urged to offer the message of forgiveness by God for each person who has experienced abortion. Our local congregations are to be communities of redemption and hope to all who suffer physical, emotional, and spiritual pain as a result of the willful termination of a pregnancy. (Genesis 1:27, 2:7; Psalms 22:9; 139:3-16; Isaiah 44:2, 24; 49:5; Jeremiah 1:5; Acts 17:25)