What We Believe

As a church we believe that we are called by God
to accomplish the following:

Mission:
We exist to make disciples who CONNECT with God,
GROW their faith in community, and IMPACT the world.

Vision:
We will do whatever it takes to see 1000's of people in Owatonna
and the surrounding communities experience “abundant life”
in relevant ways, and take bold new steps of faith and obedience
in their walk with Christ.

Bethel Church is built on a core set of beliefs
that we call our Statement of Faith.
These are the beliefs in which we have unity and on which
we base our fundamental decisions.

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired,
written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and without error
in its original manuscripts, and that it has supreme authority
in all matters of faith and conduct.

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing
in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
These are equal in every divine perfection and each executes
distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation,
providence and redemption.

We believe in God the Father, an infinite personal Spirit,
perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love.
We believe He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men,
hears and answers prayer, and saves from sin and death
all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles and His teachings. We believe in His substituationary atoning death, His bodily resurrection,
His ascension into heaven, His perpetual intercession for His people, and His personal and visible return to earth.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment,  and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ.
We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ,
and He is an abiding Helper, Teacher, and Guide.

We believe that all men are sinners by nature and by choice
and are, therefore, under condemnation.
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all
who confess and repent of their sins.
We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in
Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

We believe in the True or Invisible Church, a living spiritual body
of which Christ is the Head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the Local Church, consisting of a company of believers
in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith,
and associated for worship, work, and fellowship.
We believe God has laid upon the members of the local church
the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.

We believe a Christian should live for the glory of God
and the well being of his fellow men; his conduct should be blameless before the world, he should be a faithful steward of his possessions, and that he should seek to realize for himself and others
the full stature of maturity in Christ.

The statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith.
The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God
that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality,
and the proper conduct of mankind and is the sole and final source
of all that we believe.  For purposes of church doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our Elder Board is the church’s final interpretive
on the Bible’s meaning and application.

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 marriage between a man and a woman.
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, respect and dignity.   Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed towards any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of the Church.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper to the Local Church. We believe Christian Baptism is the immersion in water of a believer
into the Name of the Triune God. We believe the Lord’s Supper
was instituted by Jesus Christ for the commemoration of His death, and the hope of the resurrection. We believe these two ordinances should be observed and administered by born-again believers
walking in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ until His return.

We believe that every human being has direct relations with God
and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith;
each church is independent and must be free from interference
by an ecclesiastical or political authority; therefore,
the Church and State must be kept separate as having
different functions with each fulfilling its duties
free from the dictation or patronage of the other.

We believe local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether a regional or a district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches.
Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated
at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowships on a voluntary, independent basis.

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His Kingdom.
We believe in the rapture of the Church, the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal life and joy of the righteous,
and the endless suffering of the wicked.