Here at New Salem we believe that the Bible is the Holy, Inspired, Living Word of God. The Bible being God breathed, complete and lacking nothing is without error and is the basis for all of our beliefs and the proof there of. We believe there is only one God and He manifest Himself in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God, being all powerful, all knowing and ever present, in His infinite wisdom, created mankind in His image.

Being created in the image of God, man was created perfect, as the crown jewel of His creation. God, being sovereign, gave mankind the freedom of choice and by the choice of man sin entered into God’s creation and mankind died spiritually. God being rich in mercy and grace, bridged this separation between Himself and mankind through His Son, Jesus Christ. We believe that confessing Jesus as Lord and trusting in His finished work on the cross of Calvary is the only way to get back into right relationship with God. We believe that salvation in Christ is a beginning point in someone’s life and not an ending point. Our desire is to reach as many people as possible with the Gospel by whatever means necessary. We will hold to the truth of God’s Word but will move past the traditions of man’s religion and preconceived notions of what Church should be to accomplish this. We then will come along side those new Christians and encourage them to grow in their faith and new life with Christ.

As a Church we practice two basic ordinances, the ordinance of Believers Baptism by emersion and the ordinance of the Lords Supper. Neither of these two ordinances are required for salvation because Salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone, however it is by the example of Christ that we follow these ordinances as an ongoing testimony of who Jesus is in our lives and what He has done for all mankind.

I hope and pray that this gives you an idea of the heart of this fellowship of Believers known as New Salem. If you would like to see a more in depth statement of beliefs, I encourage you to read the Baptist Faith and message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention.

Because He Lives

Pastor Mike Barnes