We have foundational beliefs that we feel are essential to our church as well as our individual lives. These beliefs are the basis for everything we teach at Cornerstone – in all services and classes.

 

The Bible is the Word of God. The Bible is uniquely God-inspired, without error, and the final authority on all matters on which it speaks. Since the Bible is the only completely reliable and truthful authority, we accept the Bible as our guide for living.

 

God is the creator of all things. God created humans to have fellowship with Him, but we defied God by sinfully going our own way. As a result, we need God’s saving grace to end our alienation from Him. Salvation comes only through God’s grace – not human effort – and must be received personally by repentance and faith.

 

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus lived a sinless life on earth and voluntarily paid for our sin by dying on the cross as our substitute. This accomplished salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He rose from the dead and is the mediator between God and us. He is the head of the church and baptizes believers in the Holy Spirit. He will return to earth to consummate history.

 

The Holy Spirit empowers the believer. The Holy Spirit is a gift from God as promised by Jesus. The Holy Spirit draws sinners to Christ and equips believers for personal growth and service to the church. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is available for all believers and empowers the church to walk in the fullness of God and the freedom of Jesus.

 

Prayer is our foundation. Cornerstone is a church that prays about everything. Prayer at Cornerstone is not just something we do – it defines who we are. We are a praying people. God has designed us not only for relationship with Him through prayer but also to cooperate with Him through prayer. At Cornerstone, we train, equip, and teach personal prayer. Through prayer, we partner with Jesus to bring His kingdom to pass on earth as it is in Heaven.

 

The Church is the body of Christ. The Church is comprised of the entire body of Christ and is not limited to a single group or organization. The goal of the Church is to make disciples of all nations and to present the saints complete in Christ. The five-fold ministries listed in Ephesians 4 govern the Church, along with the service of other leadership roles mentioned in Scripture.

 

Committed believers tithe their income. Part of any church’s membership responsibility involves faithfully tithing. Although giving is important to the financial operation of the church, that is not the sole purpose of giving. Here are a few things to remember about giving:

• GIVING IS DIRECTED TO GOD. Our giving is an expression of our love for Him and is done out of obedience to Him. (Malachi 3:8–10; Matthew 23:23; Mark 12:43)

 

• GIVING IS AN EXPRESSION OF GOD’S LORDSHIP IN OUR LIVES. As Lord of our lives, we acknowledge that everything we own already belongs to God. Our giving is merely giving back to God a part of what He has given to us. (Matthew 6:21; Luke 16:13)

 

• GIVING AT CORNERSTONE IS UNIQUE. We do not pass an offering plate during services. Instead, we have offering boxes in each building on campus. We also offer options for giving by text and online giving at the church website. Our commitment is to clearly communicate any need the church may have, and as a member of our Cornerstone family, you have the opportunity to give in response to that need as a form of worship and obedience.