Our Beliefs
The central Maine mission holds to the historic Christian faith. That is, we believe in the all surpassing glory of God – that God alone is worthy of worship, honor, and service. We believe in the surprising depth of human sin – that all of us are broken by sin and experience pain and suffering in life. We believe in the all-sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ – that he alone is our Savior and can bring healing, hope, and salvation through his death on the cross. We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives today – that once we trust in Christ and his work only we are bound together with each other in him. That this requires us to come together to bring him the glory he deserves and to seek him out in all our lives. We believe that this is good news not just for us but is to be shared with our community, our region, and the whole world and we have a part to play in that.
We believe that the teaching of the Bible has been well summarized by the church through the ages in both the Apostle's Creed and the Westminster Standards.
Apostle's Creed
The Apostle’s Creed is a brief statement of the early church that though not written by the apostles themselves provides a concise statement of essential biblical teachings.
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into the grave. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic [i.e., universal] church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Westminster Standards
The Westminster Standards are several documents written in the 17th century to provide a synopsis of the Bible’s teachings. The Westminster Confession of Faith is a statement of what we believe in more detail than what is given above. The Westminster Shorter Catechism is a statement of what we believe in question and answer format (FAQ style).