The mission of Riverside Community Church is to know Jesus Christ and to reach as many people as possible with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrected Life. We seek to be in obedience to the Great Commission passed on to us by Christ which is to go into all of the world and preach the Gospel to every creature (Luke 19:10; Mark 16:15).
Therefore, we will be missionaries to the world and utilize every outlet of ministry that God opens. We are here as servants “Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ...” (Rev. 1:2). Thus, we seek to emphasize the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the person and work of the Holy Spirit, and the imminent return of the Lord Jesus.
Our priority is to be the living body of Jesus Christ on earth (1 Cor. 10:17). As such, we will allow the light of Christ to shine through us to our local community and to the world. His light is the constant testimony of the undying, all sufficient life of Christ which has overcame death. We believe this will happen as we recognize an end of our lives and allow the Life of Christ to be unreservedly manifested through us.
As Jesus lives through us, our lives should attract those who do not know Christ as Lord and Savior, even as multitudes were drawn to Him in His earthly pilgrimage (Matt. 5:14-16). We will purpose to yield our lives and resources to God for the exaltation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the establishment of His Kingdom on earth.
Statement of Fundamental Truths
We believe the Bible to be the written Word of God. The Scriptures (Old and New Testaments) are inerrant as originally given and are inspired by God to be a complete revelation of His plan for the salvation of mankind. Therefore, they constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:15-16; 2 Peter 1:20-22)
We believe in and worship one God, who is infinitely perfect, existing eternally in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (commonly known as the Trinity). (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 5:48; Matthew 28:19)
We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and that, having existed eternally, became man without ceasing to be God in an indivisible oneness. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God, redeem sinful man, and rule over God’s kingdom. We believe that He is presently seated at the right hand of God the Father, with all the power in His hands. (John 1:1-2; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 28:18; Hebrews 1:3)
We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine person, sent to indwell, guide, teach, empower the believer, and convict the world concerning sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He is the Supernatural Agent initiating the process of salvation – conviction of sin, conversion, and regeneration, baptizing all believers into the Body of Christ. (John 14:16-17; John 16:7-8, 13; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 12:13)
We believe that sin resulted in the fall of humanity and separation from God. Mankind was originally created in the image and likeness of God. Mankind willingly fell to sin through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. We believe all of humanity is sinful by nature and by choice, and can only be saved through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:23, 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12)
We believe that the crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazereth was the ransom for sin to restore the fellowship of God with mankind. Salvation is obtained by grace through faith. All who confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God has raised Him from the dead shall be saved. Those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God. (John 1:12; Romans 10:9; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-10; Titus 3:4-7; 1 Peter 1:18-19)
We believe the Holy Spirit further performs a special work in the heart and life of the believer through the process of sanctification, whereby the Holy Spirit cleanses and purifies the heart of the believer by removing the “old” or “Adamic” nature and fills the cleansed heart with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. This begins at conversion and is a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion. The Holy Spirit gifts every believer with spiritual gifts for the purpose of furthering the work and Kingdom of God. (Acts 1:8, 2:4; Romans 6:1-14; 1 Corinthians 12:4-14; Galatians 5:22-24; 1 Thessalonians 5:23)
We believe the Church is the Body of Christ which consists of all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church, which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the gospel to all nations. The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the Word of God, prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and observance of the ordinances of Water Baptism and the Lord's Supper as a symbolic remembrance of Christ’s suffering and death for our salvation. (Ephesians 1:22-23; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-47)
We believe that God has instituted the marriage union, made up of one naturally born man and one naturally born woman, and that any intimate sexual activity outside of that union is a sinful perversion of God's holy standard. (Genesis 2:24, 19:5-13; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)
We believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ which is imminent and will be personal. Jesus Christ is coming again to ransom the Church and to judge the world. This is the believer's hope and is a vital truth that is an incentive to holy living and faithful service. (Hebrews 10:37; Luke 21:27; Titus 2:11-14)
We believe that there shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life; for the latter, a resurrection unto judgment. (1 Corinthians 15:20-23; John 5:28-29)
We believe God has promised the future home of the believer will be in the new heavens and new earth which He will create after the final judgment, and God will reward us according to our works. (Genesis 3:17-18; Isaiah 65:17; Matthew 19:28; Romans 2:6; 2 Peter 3:7-13; Revelation 21 & 22)