What We Believe
Beliefs
The ancient church father St. Augustine offers a helpful statement on any church’s shared beliefs. He said, “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In everything, love.” This idea acknowledges that there exist essential teachings within Scripture that the Church must be united on if it is to remain faithful. It also highlights the fact that the Church has historically divided over secondary issues, for which there should be liberty within the family of faith. Finally, in everything, we are to be a community that is guided by love. Right belief, expressed pridefully, is not love. Likewise, wrong belief, expressed freely, is not love. Right belief, bolstered by love, was Jesus' example. As a local church, this is our aim.
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River Valley Church affirms the doctrinal statement of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA). The following answers represent some of the core, orthodox beliefs of the Church from a biblical and historical perspective.
The Apostles' Creed
The Apostles’ Creed is the foundational creed of Christian churches. The creed was used as a summary of Christian doctrine for baptismal candidates in the churches of Rome. Though many churches and flavors of Christianity throughout the ages have different interpretations of the Bible, and embrace various doctrinal nuances, the essence of what the Scriptures teach is found in the words of the Apostles’ Creed...
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We believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic (universal) church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Statements
Beyond our core doctrinal convictions are other theological statements that reflect what we believe and help to answer questions being asked within our church community and the broader culture.