Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
- Hebrews 10:23
GOD
We believe in the triune God – one God, creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three equally divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
GOD, THE FATHER
We believe God, the Father, is the “maker of heaven and earth” and created the entire universe out of nothing. He now sovereignly watches over and cares for his creation.
GOD, THE SON
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and is both fully human and fully divine. He lived a sinless life, died on a cross, was resurrected, and ascended into heaven. He will return to earth as our victorious Lord.
GOD, HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that from the moment of salvation, every Christian receives the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit completes and perfects all the works that Jesus did for us as He illuminates, guides, equips, and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
SALVATION
We believe that all people are inherently sinful by nature and by choice, separated from God, and under His wrath. However, the good news is that through God’s grace and saving work in Jesus Christ, we can be rescued and renewed. Jesus shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice, taking on the punishment we deserved and paying the full price for our sins. Through His resurrection, He defeated the power of sin and death. His atoning death and victorious resurrection are the only grounds for salvation.
FAITH
We believe faith in Jesus requires repentance, confession of that faith before witnesses, and obedience to His Word. We believe that every Christian is a disciple (follower) of Jesus, entering a lifelong process of deepening faith and maturity.
BIBLE
We believe the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, truth without error, clear and powerful in its message, sufficient for all our needs, and final authority for faith and life. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
We believe the most faithful reading of the Bible is to see it as a covenant book based on God entering into a covenant of grace (an unchangeable, divinely imposed agreement) with those whom he calls to be His sons and daughters.
THE CHURCH
We believe that everyone who trusts in Jesus is a member of the body of Christ and should actively engage in a meaningful and committed relationship with a local church. As part of Christ’s body, all believers are called to reflect Jesus’ character, attitude, behavior, and mission in today’s world. We also believe that God provides each believer with spiritual gifts to build up the church and to help spread the Gospel to the world.
Jesus Christ has entrusted His Church with two sacraments to reinforce our faith: Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. We observe these sacraments because they visibly and tangibly showcase the gospel and nourish our spiritual growth.
We believe the Bible supports infant baptism as a sign of God’s covenant promises and inclusion in His family. We also baptize adults to symbolize their new position in God’s family through the forgiveness of sins by Christ’s blood and their union with Him in His death and resurrection.
We observe the Lord’s Supper as a proclamation of what Christ’s death accomplished. The elements are symbols of Christ’s body given and his blood poured out for us at the Cross for our salvation. We believe Christ is spiritually present in the bread and juice.
CHURCH LEADERSHIP
We believe that God gives leadership gifts to both men and women through the Holy Spirit for the church’s mission and ministry.
LAST THINGS
We believe that when history follows the course outlined in God’s divine plan, Jesus Christ will return to earth in a personal, visible, and bodily way as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to gather faithful believers to Himself. We do not take a strict stance on how this will happen.
SEXUALITY & MARRIAGE
We believe that God created people in His image and likeness with two distinct genders: “male” and “female.” Our sexual identity is an integral part of who we are, influencing how we see, think, and desire. We affirm God’s design that sexual intimacy should occur solely within the bounds of marriage between a biological male and a biological female. Any other context goes against God’s good plan and does not contribute to human flourishing as He intended.
SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE
We hold that every human life is sacred, a value that encompasses all individuals, from unborn children conceived to the elderly, as well as the physically or mentally disabled and everyone God has placed around us. Consequently, we are called to cherish, protect, and support the well-being of all people.
STATEMENT OF FINAL AUTHORITY FOR FAITH AND CONDUCT
This statement of Faith does not encompass all our beliefs. The Bible is the sole and ultimate authority for everything we believe. For OHC’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, the Pastors and Governing Elders hold the final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application. Therefore, we believe that the Pastors and Governing Elders are authorized to declare OHC’s definitive, final, and absolute beliefs and practices on any issue that arises now or in the future.
CREEDS & CONFESSIONS
As a Reformed church, our ministry is shaped by our Reformed confessional tradition.
We believe that the Apostles, Athanasian, and Nicene Creeds unite all Christians as the global Church.
We hold the Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, and the Canons of Dort as historic Reformed articulations of the Christian faith because their interpretations match our understanding of God’s Word. These creeds and confessions stem from the authority, clarity, and sufficiency of the eternal Word alone. Derived from Scripture, these doctrinal standards guide our understanding of the Bible, unify our practice of faith, and set us apart as Reformed within the broader Body of Christ.
We believe in the Belhar Confession as an addition to the Belgic Confession to enhance its call for unity with a more biblical perspective.
We see the Great Lakes Catechism on Marriage and Sexuality as an addendum to the Heidelberg Catechism that provides a more biblical context for its teachings on human sexuality.