What We Believe

The Bridge is an externally-focused church seeking to embrace our “sending” by Christ into our community and world in order to see people redeemed and transformed for His glory. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we are a people who are a manifestation of the gospel and who seek to become stewards of the transforming message of God’s love and grace as we invite God to invade and inhabit every moment of our lives. Our mission can be summed up by the greatest two commandments according to Jesus: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”, and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39).

Mennonite Brethren Confession of Faith

1. GOD.

We believe in the one true God, the source of all life, who reigns over all things as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and who lovingly cares for all creation. God the Father planned the redemption of humanity and sent Jesus Christ the Son to be the Savior of the world. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God, bringing good news to the poor and triumphing over sin through his obedient life, death, and resurrection. God the Holy Spirit empowers believers with new life, indwells them, and unites them in one body.

2. REVELATION OF GOD.

We believe God has made Himself known to all people. Beginning with creation and culminating in Jesus Christ, God has revealed Himself in the Old and New Testament. All Scripture is inspired by God, and is the authoritative guide for faith and practice. We interpret the Scripture in the church community as guided by the Holy Spirit.

3. CREATION AND HUMANITY.

We believe God created the heavens and the earth, and they were good. Humans, God's crowning act, were created in the image of God. Sin has alienated humanity from the Creator and creation, but God offers redemption and reconciliation through Jesus Christ.

4. SIN AND EVIL.

We believe sin is individual and corporate opposition to God's good purposes and leads to physical and spiritual death.

5. SALVATION.

We believe God saves all people who put their faith in Jesus Christ. By his obedient life, sacrificial death and victorious resurrection, Christ delivers people from the tyranny of sin and death and redeems them for eternal life in the age to come. All creation eagerly awaits its liberation from bondage into the freedom of the glory of God's children.

6. NATURE OF THE CHURCH.

We believe the church is the covenant community called by God through Jesus Christ to live a life of discipleship and witness as empowered by the Holy Spirit. The local church gathers regularly for worship, fellowship and accountability, and to discern, develop and exercise gifts for ministry.

7. MISSION OF THE CHURCH.

We believe the mission of the church is to make disciples of all nations by calling people to repent, to be baptized, and to love God and neighbor by sharing the good news and doing acts of love and compassion.

8. CHRISTIAN BAPTISM.

We believe baptism by water is a public sign that a person has repented of sin, received forgiveness, died with Christ and has been raised to new life through the power of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is also a public declaration of a believer's incorporation into the body of Christ as expressed in the local church.

9. LORD'S SUPPER

We believe that in obedience to Christ, the church observes the Lord's Supper as a remembrance of his atoning death and to celebrate forgiveness, new life, and the fellowship and unity of all believers.

10. DISCIPLESHIP.

We believe Jesus calls people who have experienced the new birth to follow him in a costly life of service to God. The power of the Holy Spirit transforms believers from the unrighteous pattern of the present age into a life of joyful obedience with God's people.

11. MARRIAGE, SINGLENESS, AND FAMILY.

We believe that singleness and marriage are honored by God and should be blessed by the church. God instituted marriage as a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman for the purpose of companionship, encouragement, sexual intimacy, and procreation. Children are a gift from God and should be nurtured by parents in the ways of God.

12. SOCIETY AND STATE.

We believe that God instituted the state to promote justice and to maintain law and order. Christians' primary allegiance is to Christ's kingdom. Believers are called to witness against injustice, exercise social responsibility, and obey all laws that do not conflict with the Word of God.

13. LOVE AND NONRESISTANCE.

We believe that God in Christ reconciles people to Himself and to one another, making peace through the cross. We seek to be agents of reconciliation, to practice love of enemies, and to express Christ's love by alleviating suffering, reducing strife, and promoting justice. Because violence and warfare are contrary to the gospel of Christ, we believe that we are called to give alternative service in times of war.

14. THE SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE.

We believe that God is creator and giver of life, and highly values each person. Procedures designed to take human life are wrong. We oppose all attitudes which devalue human life, especially the defenseless lives of the unborn, disabled, poor, aging and dying.

15. STEWARDSHIP.

We believe the universe and everything in it belong to God the Creator and that we have been entrusted by God to manage its resources. All God's gifts, including money, time, abilities and influence, are to be received with thanksgiving, used responsibly, and shared generously.

16. THE LORD'S DAY, WORK AND REST.

We believe God's act of creation provides the model for work and rest. In work, we use our abilities to glorify God and serve others. In rest, we express thanks for God's provision and trust in God's sustaining grace. In worship, we gather to commemorate the resurrection through worship, instruction, fellowship, and service.

17. OTHER FAITHS.

We believe God's atoning work in Jesus is the only means of reconciling people with God. God has not left any without a witness to the Creator's goodness and power. Christians treat people of other faiths with respect, but urgently proclaim Christ as the only way of salvation.

18. CHRIST'S FINAL TRIUMPH.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will return triumphantly at the end of this age to destroy all evil powers, condemn all who have rejected Christ to eternal punishment, and unite believers with Christ to reign forever with God in glory.

APPENDIX

The Bridge Bible Church is in agreement with the Confession of Faith of the U.S. and Canadian Conferences of the Mennonite Brethren Churches, 1999 Edition (above) with the following clarifications:

A. Regarding Article 2, "Revelation of God," The Bridge believes that Scripture, being inspired, is without error in the original writings.

B. Regarding Article 8, "Christian Baptism," The Bridge views believer's baptism as a requirement for local church membership, but does not grant local church membership status solely on the basis of baptism.

C. Regarding Article 13, "Love and Nonresistance," The Bridge practices grace with respect to various convictions regarding giving alternative service during times of war.

D. Regarding Article 18, "Christ's Final Triumph," The Bridge would change the second sentence in the statement regarding "Judgment" from "…all those who have rejected Christ will be condemned" to "…all those who have not believed in Christ will be condemned."