When we use the word “believe”, we are talking about the lives we’ve committed to living as a result of the truth we know. After reading about what we believe, please “test us” by spending time with us to see if our words, our lives, and our life together as a church really live up to what’s written on this page.
What we believe
There is only one true & living God who exists in three persons that are one in power & glory: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) & the Holy Spirit. God is everywhere (omnipresent), is all powerful (omnipotent), knows everything (omniscient) & controls everything (sovereign) according to His good & perfect plan. He is eternal, wise, loving, just & holy. God is the Creator & Sustainer of everything; we are completely dependent on Him for everything we have & everything we are. Only God is worthy of our worship, service, lives & trust. The central purpose of our lives is to live for God’s glory & enjoy Him forever.
Man and woman were created sinless & perfect in God’s image, giving them great value & dignity. When Adam & Eve rebelled against God, sin entered the world & affected everything & everyone. All men and women are sinners by nature & choice, falling short of God’s glory. The penalty for sin is separation from God. We can do nothing to save ourselves but God, for no other reason than His great love & mercy, made a way for Jesus Christ to save us. Jesus came to earth & was born of a virgin, fully God & fully man. He lived a perfect & sinless life, died in our place on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, was raised from the grave victorious over sin & death, ascended into Heaven & offers us the forgiveness of sins & the free gift of eternal life. No wonder they call Him Savior! When we accept His gift, we become Christians; our sins are forgiven & we begin, with the Holy Spirit’s help, living life in relationship with & obedience to God as His sons & daughters. We obey not to earn our salvation but in thanks for having been saved.
We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind & strength, so we hate sin, as God does. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves, so we love sinners, as God does (Christians are forgiven sinners, but sinners, nonetheless). Christians are in the world to make a difference…to live for God, care for people & share with ALL the good news of salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. When ALL have heard, Christ will return. Those who have not accepted His offer of salvation will be forever separated from God. Those who have accepted His offer of salvation will live forever with God in Heaven. Jesus Christ is the only way to God. We can do nothing on our own to earn salvation. We are saved through faith alone in Christ alone & it is Jesus who gives us that faith. These beliefs about Jesus are what set us apart from other religious traditions & spiritual practices.
The Bible, all 66 books in the Old & New Testaments, is the written, Holy Spirit-inspired, authoritative Word of God. We are to apply its unchanging truths to an ever-changing world with complete confidence that it will not – cannot – fail. It is an absolutely trustworthy guide, sufficient to teach us everything we need to know about living for God’s glory & enjoying Him forever. God has revealed Himself to us in the Bible. We talk to God through prayer; God talks to us through the Bible. The Bible’s central message is that death & separation entered the world through sin & God radically solved the problem through the life, death & resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Bible, God has given us a complete, accurate & error-free record of who He is, what He has done & how we may have a relationship with Him.
All (past, present & future) who Jesus Christ has saved are equal & united together as the family of God. This is the invisible church, of which Jesus Christ is the head. Then there is the visible church…the particular places where God’s people gather together regularly, in obedience to God, to worship & express their unity through fellowship, encouragement, loving service, prayer, Bible study, baptism & the Lord’s Supper (Communion). In the Bible, God provides direction for how to do these things & He uses them to expand & grow His Kingdom. God selects leaders for His people from among His people to oversee the activities of the church & care for His people. In the Bible, God outlines qualifications for these leaders. The visible church ought to maintain connections with other churches in the same denomination, to hold each other accountable in doctrine & practice. The visible church ought to maintain connections with other churches in other denominations, to support the expansion & growth of God’s Kingdom. All churches & church members ought to support, pray for & serve with missionaries & ministries both locally & around the world.
We subscribe to the historic Christian faith as taught in the Bible & helpfully expressed in the Westminster Confession of Faith with its Larger Catechism and Shorter Catechism. The doctrinal standards of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) are stated in this confession. We also draw from other historic confessions (like the Belgic Confession & Canons of Dordt), catechisms (like the Heidelberg Catechism) & creeds (like the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed & Athanasian Creed).
Our History
In 1856, God formed a church that would eventually be known as Salem, which means peace. God directed James Hays to set aside 20-acres of his farmland & a one-room wooden structure was built. The people of Salem rode in horse-drawn wagons or walked the country miles to meet for worship & teaching. The building, set on a hill, originally painted sparkling white but eventually rebuilt, expanded & bricked, served & still serves as a beacon, drawing all who desire peace to come & find not only peace with God but the peace of God. Over the years, many diverse people have come. There were times when the church had a full-time pastor & other times when it depended on faithful lay pastors to fill the pulpit & teach the Bible. From the days of a coal stove & kerosene lamps to today, we thank God for the faithful Christians in Salem’s past, who trusted Jesus & loved others. We look forward to Salem’s future with hope. In the present, we preach the good news of Jesus & the free gift of salvation through His death & resurrection. We pray that God will give us wisdom & a complete understanding of what He wants to do in our lives. We want the way we live to always honor & please God. We want to always do good, kind things for others. We want to know God better & better. We pray that God will strengthen us with His power so that we will have all the patience & endurance we need. We want to be filled with joy, always thanking God, who has adopted us as His children (Colossians 1:1-12).
“The word Salem means peace and the people of Salem are a people of peace, peace with each other and peace with their Savior…May God grant Salem the grace to continue spreading the message of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone until He comes again.”
– Dr. Bill Maynor, former pastor, Salem Presbyterian Church