What We Believe

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." - A.W. Tozer

Core Doctrines

The following are the core beliefs of Bethel Church - SD based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.

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.


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 Testaments. 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.

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.


Sin and Evil

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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