What We Believe

What We believe

Trinity is a historic, reformed, Southern Baptist Church. By historic, we mean that we
adhere to the doctrines held by the founders of the Southern Baptist Convention. By
reformed, we mean that we adhere to the doctrines of sovereign grace as expressed
in the London Baptist Confession of 1689. We believe man is spiritually dead by
nature. He is incapable of coming to God properly unless God changes him and
shows him his need for the Savior. Salvation is only by God's sovereign grace,
through Jesus Christ, by faith alone.

--A High View of God

Our generation is plagued by a low view of God. Few are awed by His majesty. Most
live in defiance of His commands. God reveals Himself in His Word as Sovereign,
Almighty, and most Holy. He is sovereign over all of the world's affairs: "And all the
inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in
the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth" (Daniel 4:35). He is
almighty, fully able to accomplish His purpose: "And none can stay his hand, or say
unto him, What doest thou?" (Daniel 4:35). He is absolutely holy and must punish sin:
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men" (Romans 1:18). God is also full of mercy. He loved sinners
enough to send forth His Son to die on their behalf and graciously receives all who
come to Him in repentance.

--A High View Scripture

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. It alone is our
final authority in matters of faith and practice. We presuppose this authority in every
work of our church. The Bible is the foundation for every doctrine taught by our church.

--A High View of Worship

We believe true worship must always be God-centered rather than man-centered.
God loves and desires the worship of His people (Ps. 29:2), and he commands us to
bring the sacrifices of praise to His altar. The modern church-growth movement has
shifted the emphasis of worship to the feelings and experiences of the people in the
pews. The fearful and reverent worship of God, and the preaching of His Word, have
been replaced by entertainment, therapy, and whatever else happens to fill the
appetites of those who have no desire to bow in humility before a great and holy God.
We believe worship is a spiritual endeavor, and we strive to include in our worship
only those elements that God has specifically prescribed in the Bible. We give a high
priority to the preaching of the Word (2 Tim. 4:2). It is the primary means of bringing
salvation to sinners (1 Cor. 1:21). We sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that
exalt our Lord (Eph. 5:19).

--A High View of the Church

We believe Christ purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:25)
and that He oversees all of its affairs (Rev. 2-3). We believe all Christian ministry must
be conducted under the authority of the local church. It is the only institution on earth
ordained by God for the propagation of the Gospel and the edification of the saints.
God has given us His Word as the standard by which we must conduct the work of the
church (1 Tim. 3:14-15). We take church membership very seriously and require the
completion of a 13-week new members’ class prior to becoming a member. We
believe in a regenerate church membership and that true Christian conversion will be
accompanied by the fruit of holiness (Gal. 5:22-23; 1 John 1:6; 2:3-4). We practice a
circular chain of authority – each member under the authority of the pastor (Heb.
13:17) and the pastor under the authority of the church (1 Tim. 5:19-20).

--A High View of Evangelism

We believe in the importance of evangelism. God has clearly commanded us to
preach the Gospel to all men and to show them the love of Christ. Although we
understand that salvation is a supernatural work of God and that it is not in our power
to save souls, we have great confidence that our labors will never be in vain. We
believe the church must be involved in purposed evangelism and that every believer
must endeavor to demonstrate Christ in his daily life.