What We Believe
Jesus is the way
First and foremost, we believe Jesus is for ALL people. We believe that He was fully God and fully human (Colossians 2:9) who stepped into humanity to redeem us from sin, death, and brokenness (Titus 2:11-14). We believe He came to live and die sacrificially on behalf of all people, so that everyone who trusts in Him can live a full, abundant life starting now (John 10:10) and continuing into eternity with God (John 3:16).
The Bible is God’s truth
We believe the whole Bible is the perfect, inspired word of God – living and active (Hebrews 4:12), a lamp for our feet and a light for our path (Psalm 119:105). The Bible has been given to teach, train, and equip us with everything we need to know about God and to live like He intended (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
We’re all human
We believe God created us in His image (Genesis 1:27) to do good and live the journey of following Jesus (Ephesians 2:10). However, we were also created with a free will and the ability to choose to rebel against God—a choice the Bible calls sin (James 1:14-15). At some point, we all have made sin our choice (Romans 3:23) and are all in need of saving from that decision, which leads to death (Romans 6:23).
We all need saved
We believe salvation is an absolutely free and unearned gift of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9) offered exclusively through Jesus (Acts 4:12). We believe salvation is available to every single person who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior (Romans 1:16). We believe, as part of this process, God’s expectation is for us to profess our faith by repenting—turning away from sin—and being baptized by immersion (Acts 2:38).
We have help
We believe that God gives His Spirit—the Holy Spirit—to inhabit every part of our lives when we hear and believe the message of the truth of Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:13). The Spirit is given to comfort and encourage us (Acts 9:31), to make us bold about sharing the love of Jesus with others (2 Timothy 1:7-8), to convict and strengthen us when temptation hits (John 16:8, 13), and to provide God’s gifts for the common good of the Church (1 Corinthians 12:7).
You have purpose
We believe God gives leaders within the church to prepare all followers of Jesus for serving His kingdom. Because of this, there’s no such thing as an “inactive” member of the Church (Ephesians 4:12) and as Christ-followers we are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). You have a gift from God that is purposed with hope + a future (Jeremiah 29:11) and He wants you to use your gift to make the Church and the world around you a better place (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).
God gives good leaders
We believe God gave us elders to lead the church as well as guide and coach our pastoral staff (Acts 20:28-35) (1 Timothy 3:1-7). They mutually share in responsibility and authority in the church. They also enact discipline as necessary—having the tough conversations with or removing from ministry those trying to tear the church down—yet do so in love and humility (Ephesians 4:15), so that the body of Christ is ultimately strengthened (Galatians 6:1).
The best is yet to come
We believe that the best is yet to come in your life (1 Corinthians 2:9), in the life of Wellsville First Christian Church (1 Peter 2:9-12), and in the world (Isaiah 11:1-10)—no matter how dark it seems. We believe that Jesus is for all people, and for everyone who trusts in Him the best days are always ahead (Revelation 21:1-5). We look forward to a day where we are reunited with Jesus and He reigns forever as King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14).