We believe the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God and that men were moved by the Spirit to write words of Scripture exactly as God intended. Therefore, the Bible is without error in its original manuscripts. The resulting sixty six books, no more and no less, comprise the finished canon of Holy Scripture. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Timothy 1:13, Psalm 119:105, Psalm 119:160, Psalm 12:6, Proverbs 30:5)
We believe in one God eternally existing in three distinct persons (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). We believe that Jesus Christ is the second member of the Trinity (the Son of God) who became flesh to reveal God to man and to become the Savior of the lost world. (Genesis 1:1,26,27, Genesis 3:22, Deuteronomy 6:4, Psalm 90:2, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30, I Peter 1:2, 2 Corinthians 13:14)
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father. Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He rose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to heaven and is now at the right hand of the Father acting as our High Priest and our Advocate. He will return again at any time to judge the nations, reward the faithful, and reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way that man can enter into a right relationship with God. (Matthew 1:22-23, Isaiah 9:6, John 1:1-5, John 14:6,10-30, Hebrews 4:14-15, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Romans 1:3-4, Acts 1:9-11, 1 Timothy 6:14-15, Hebrews 3:1, 1 John 2:1-2, Titus 2:13)
The Holy Spirit is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. No one can enter into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ without the supernatural activity of the Holy Spirit in his or her life. He also lives in every believer from the moment of salvation to conform them into the image of Jesus Christ. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily. (2 Corinthians 3:14-17, John 3:3-8, John 16:7-13; 14:16-17, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16, Ephesians 1:13, Galatians 5:25, Ephesians 5:18, 1 Peter 1:2, Titus 3:5-7)
We believe that man was created in the image of God to have fellowship with Him, but became alienated from that relationship through sinful disobedience. As a result, man is totally incapable of coming back into a right relationship with God by his own effort or deeds. (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 8:3-6, Isaiah 53:6a, Romans 3:23, Colossians 1:21, Isaiah 59:1-2)
We believe that the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross provides the sole basis for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, salvation only occurs when a person turns from their sin and places his or her faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This means a person believes in the true identity of Jesus as the Son of God (He is Lord). This also means that a person trusts in the atoning work (His sinless life, His substitutionary death as the sufficient payment for his or her sins, and His bodily resurrection) that Jesus Christ did on his or her behalf to establish a right relationship with God (He is my Savior). (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 14:6; 1:12, Titus 3:5, Galatians 3:26, Romans 5:1)
Baptism is always a new believer’s first step of obedience after salvation. Baptism is a public profession of one’s faith in Jesus Christ and should always follow faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Baptism by immersion symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism by immersion also symbolizes a person’s dying to their old self and the beginning of their new life in Jesus Christ. At NorthStar, it is a membership requirement that every member should be baptized AFTER they have trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior even though many of them may have been “confirmed” as children or “christened” as infants. This was the same step of obedience taken by members of churches in the New Testament. If you have already been baptized by another church AFTER trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, it is not necessary to be baptized again to join NorthStar Church. (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 2:41, Acts 8:38-39, Acts 10:43-47, Romans 6:3-5, Colossians 2:12)
Some churches practice a “Baptism of Confirmation” for children by sprinkling them. This covenant between the parents and God to raise their children in the faith began as a custom some three-hundred (300) years after the Bible was completed. While it is surely a meaningful experience for the parents, this is different from the baptism talked about in the Bible which was only for those old enough to believe. The purpose of Baptism is to publicly confess your personal relationship with Christ.
At NorthStar, parents may choose to bring their child before the church for a time of dedication. During this time, we are not saying the child is baptized or is becoming a Christian. This dedication serves a two-fold purpose. First, it’s a time for the parents to commit before God and their church family that they will bring up their child to know Jesus. And, it’s a time for the church family to pray for the parents and for the child to one day come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.
At NorthStar, we wait until our children are old enough to believe and understand the true meaning of baptism before we baptize them. Prior to getting baptized, we require all 5th grade school children and younger to complete the WE BELIEVE class for parents and their children that confirms their understanding of what it means to know Christ and be baptized. For questions about this class, please visit our website for date & time of next class offered by our Children’s Ministry.
Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security. (John 10:29, 2 Timothy 1:12, Hebrews 7:25; 10:10-14, 1 Peter 1:3-5)
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence. (John 3:16, I John 2:25; 5:11-13, Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:15)
All human life is a sacred gift from God and is to be protected and defended from conception to natural death. We will uphold the sanctity of life and bring the grace and compassion of Christ to those who face the realities of previous abortion, unwanted pregnancy, and end-of-life illness.
Marriage is God’s idea. God created and sanctioned marriage to bring together one man and one woman in a covenant relationship with Himself (Genesis 2:18-25). Marriage between one man and one woman for life is uniquely designed to reflect Christ’s relationship with His Church (Ephesians 5:21-33). Marriage also serves as the foundational unit of a stable society (1 Corinthians 7:2). It provides the best chance that children will grow up in the same home with both their mom and dad (Ephesians 6:1-3).
Gender, likewise, matters. God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female (Psalm 139:13-16), and these distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Gen 1:26-27). Human sexuality is a wonderful gift from God (Song of Solomon) intended and designed for the marriage relationship between one man and one woman. The Bible is clear in its teaching that any form of sex outside of marriage, whether it be heterosexual, homosexual, or otherwise, is sinful and must be avoided (Leviticus 18:22; Matthew 5:17-20; Matthew 15:19; Matthew 19:4-5; Rom 1:26-27; I Cor 6:9-11; I Tim 1:8-10; Jude 6-7).
NorthStar is an autonomous church and is not governed by any other body or organization. We are led in day to day ministry operations by our Pastoral Staff. NorthStar is shepherded by the pastors who are responsible for the general oversight and spiritual welfare of the church. The management team serves alongside the staff for advisement and guidance. The management team is comprised of church members with unique gifts and leadership abilities. This team provides accountability and support to the staff. We keep our structure simple for the purpose of minimizing maintenance and maximizing ministry.
We follow Jesus’ example by taking the focus off ourselves and do whatever it takes to help people who are far from the Lord find their way home to Him.
We know there is no guaranteed “return on investment” when we serve people who don’t know Jesus. But, like Jesus, we continue to love and serve them anyway.
We strive to prioritize relationships above schedules, events, and to-do lists because life is more about relationships than accomplishments.
We model Jesus’ example of doing more than expected by going above and beyond what people expect with our excellence and our love, gaining their attention and their favor.
We believe that God’s best days are in front of us, not behind. We simply keep taking one step at a time as the Spirit leads us to do greater works than we could ever imagine!
