Statement of Belief

A Shared Posture

The ancient church father St. Augustine offered a simple and enduring framework for Christian faith and community:

“In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love.”

We believe this posture reflects the way of Jesus.

Scripture reveals that there are essential truths—core teachings of the Christian faith—around which the Church must remain united. These essentials are not arbitrary; they are the anchors that hold us steady in the life of God and the family of God.

At the same time, the Church has often divided over secondary matters—important questions and sincere convictions that faithful Christians have held differently across history and culture. In these non-essential matters, we believe the most Christlike posture is liberty: room to grow, wrestle, discern, and mature over a lifetime of walking with Jesus.

And in all things, we are bound together by love.

Right belief, expressed without humility, is not love.

Wrong belief, tolerated without care, is not love.

But right belief, pursued and practiced in love, is what Jesus embodied—and what we seek to live out as His Body in the world.

Our Essentials

At Neighbors Church, we unite around these core beliefs:

The Bible — the authority of Scripture and our submission to its living counsel.
The Gospel — the good news that God is restoring all things through Jesus Christ.
Salvation — the gracious work of God that restores us to right relationship with Him, with one another, and with creation.

The Bible

We believe the Bible—comprised of the Old and New Testaments—to be true, trustworthy, and authoritative. We hold that Scripture was divinely inspired by God through the Holy Spirit and faithfully written by human authors (see 2 Timothy 3:15–17; 2 Peter 1:21).

While we expect God to be present and active among us—still speaking, guiding, and revealing—we do not believe God contradicts Himself. God’s Spirit never leads us away from what He has already revealed through Scripture. For this reason, Scripture functions both as an invitation into the life of God and as a guardrail, helping us discern God’s will and test all things.

The Bible shapes our beliefs, forms our practices, and anchors our life together.

The Historic Creeds of the Church

We believe the essential teachings of Scripture are faithfully summarized in the historic creeds of the Church. These creeds unite Christians across centuries, cultures, and denominations.

The Apostles’ Creed

The Apostles’ Creed is one of the earliest summaries of Christian belief and has been confessed by the Church for centuries. We affirm fellowship with all who confess:

We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

We believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again 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.

Amen.

The Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed was formed in the 4th century as the Church’s confession of faith concerning the Triune God and the full divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ. By confessing it, we stand in continuity with the global and historic Church.

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made;

who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man;

and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

And we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

The Gospel

The Gospel is both a declaration and a story.

The Gospel: A Declaration

The Gospel is the good news that God—the Creator of all things—has come to rescue us from sin and death and to renew all creation through the life, death, resurrection, and reign of Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

This good news is initiated by grace.
This good news is substitutionary—Jesus lived, died, and rose on our behalf.
This good news is participatory—we are invited to join God’s redemptive work.
This good news is Kingdom-centered—the reign of Jesus extends over all creation.
This good news is transformative—bringing people from death to life and forming communities that preview God’s future renewal of the world.

The Gospel: A Story

The Gospel unfolds across all of Scripture and can be summarized in four movements:

Creation — God creates a good world marked by harmony and purpose.

Fall — Humanity rebels, fracturing our relationship with God, one another, and creation.

Redemption — God rescues and restores through Jesus Christ.

Renewal — God promises the restoration of all things, uniting heaven and earth.

As Scripture declares in Colossians 1:15–20, all things were created by Christ, hold together in Christ, and will be reconciled through Christ.

Salvation

Salvation is how the Gospel becomes personally transformative.

Past — We are saved by grace through faith as a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8–9), grounded in the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

Present — We are being saved through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, who forms us into the likeness of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:18).

Future — Salvation will be completed when Christ returns and all things are made new. Even as our bodies fade, God continues His renewing work within us (2 Corinthians 4:16).

Because of Jesus—His death, resurrection, and reign—death does not have the final word.

Our Relationship with the Assemblies of God

Neighbors Church is affiliated with the Assemblies of God, a global Pentecostal fellowship of churches committed to the authority of Scripture, the centrality of Jesus Christ, and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.

The Assemblies of God expresses its shared theology through the Statement of Fundamental Truths, which unites the fellowship around essential doctrine while allowing local churches freedom in culture, expression, and mission.

We affirm the Assemblies of God’s 16 Fundamental Truths as a faithful summary of biblical teaching:

Assemblies of God – Fundamental Truths

The Scriptures Inspired
The One True God
The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ
The Fall of Humanity
The Salvation of Humanity
The Ordinances of the Church
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit
The Initial Physical Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
Sanctification
The Church and Its Mission
The Ministry
Divine Healing
The Blessed Hope
The Millennial Reign of Christ
The Final Judgment
The New Heavens and the New Earth

A Local Expression

As a local church, Neighbors Church holds these beliefs with conviction and humility. We are committed to being Spirit-filled, Christ-centered, and biblically grounded, while practicing pastoral care, discernment, and spiritual maturity.

Our affiliation with the Assemblies of God provides spiritual covering, accountability, and partnership in mission—while allowing Neighbors Church to faithfully live out its calling in a relational, incarnational, and formation-centered way.