You are welcome to attend Summit no matter where you are on your faith journey.

As you begin taking your Next Steps, prayerfully review the following doctrinal guideline, as it will help you understand where you fit into the Summit community. 

For the sake of clarity, the beliefs of Summit’s leadership can be placed into three categories. 

We acknowledge that there are members of God’s family with equal devotion, theological training, and integrity in their faith who differ on these topics.

1.     Essential Beliefs. This refers to a set of beliefs that are foundational teachings, unique to Christianity that have been upheld by those in the Christian faith for centuries. 

2.     Convictions. This refers to a further set of beliefs regarding topics that Summit Elders have considered and have come to conclusions based on their understanding of scripture. These topics are publicly taught. 

3.     Opinions. This refers to yet another set of beliefs concerning matters that are often less clear in scripture and may not directly relate to the gospel or salvation. These topics often border on the mysterious. Summit Elders encourage healthy discussion and debate regarding these topics.

Summit is seeking ministry partners who passionately share the same belief in the essentials of the faith and are comfortable ministering in alignment with our convictions, alongside others who may or may not share the exact same convictions or opinions. We believe that if our differences involve essentials, we should not attempt ministering together. But we are comfortable with your holding differing convictions if you can model, teach, and promote Summit’s convictions without feeling your integrity is compromised. 

We believe that all of us should continuously grow and learn during our faith journeys and that no one has a complete or perfect understanding of the scriptures and the Christian faith. That is why we desire to walk in unity around the essential beliefs of the faith, while enjoying liberty in the non-essential truths of the scriptures. In all things theological, we want to walk in love like Jesus, who said, “by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35 NRSV

The sole basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that Scripture in its entirety originated with God and was given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through chosen men. Scripture both speaks with the authority of God and reflects the backgrounds, styles, and vocabularies of the human authors. We hold that the Scriptures are infallible and inerrant in the original manuscripts. They are the unique, full, and final authority on matters of faith and practice, and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God. Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Psalms 19:7-11; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23-25

We believe that the one and only true God is the creator, ruler and sustainer of all things. He exists in three co-equal and co-eternal persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – each of whom possesses all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personhood. Genesis 1:1-2; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10-13; Matthew 28:19; Luke 24:49 1 Corinth. 8:5-6

We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all humanity by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He rose bodily from the grave, was seen by many and ascended into heaven where he intercedes for his people and rules as Lord of all creation. Jesus will come again to earth, personally and visibly, to fulfill history and the eternal plan of God. Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 53; Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:5; Acts 1:3; 1:9-11; 4:10-12; Luke 24:36-48; Romans 1:3-4; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-20; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 4;14-15; Revelation 22:20

The result of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a maturing life of holiness and obedience, attained by believers as they submit to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. He was sent into the world by the Father and the Son to apply to mankind the saving work of Christ. He enlightens the mind of sinners, awakens in them recognition of their need of a Savior and regenerates them. At the point of salvation, He indwells every believer to become the source of assurance, strength and wisdom, and uniquely empowers each believer with spiritual gifts for the strengthening of the Body. The Holy Spirit provides each Christian with power to live in a manner pleasing to God, to understand spiritual truth, and to serve as ambassadors for Christ in our world. John 14:16-17, 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 2:12-16, 6:19-20, 1 Corinthians 12; 2 Corinthians 3:16-18; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:11-13

The central purpose of God’s revelation in Scriptures is to call all people into fellowship with Himself. Originally created to have fellowship with God, humanity defied God, choosing to go their independent way, and thus was alienated from God and suffered the corruption of their nature, rendering them unable to please God. The fall took place at the beginning of human history; therefore, all individuals since are sinners, are suffering these consequences and are in need of the saving grace of God. The salvation of humanity is completely a work of God’s free grace and not the result, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness, and must be personally appropriated by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation results in a person becoming a new creation and being continually transformed into the image of Christ. Luke 24:46,47; John 3:16; Romans 5:12-21, 10:13-15; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 3:8-9; Colossians 1:13-14; Titus 2:11, 3:5-7

The church is composed of all persons who, through saving faith in Jesus Christ, are united together in faith and fellowship. The church is expressed in many unique and diverse ways through local congregations as it fulfills its five primary purposes: to worship God; to experience community with each other; to engage in the process of spiritual growth; to equip each other for service; and to reach the world through mission. Matthew 16:18, Matthew 28:16-19; Acts 2:42-47; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 2:19-22, 4:3-4, 11-16; Hebrews 10:25

Created to exist forever, each person’s death consummates his or her eternal destiny. Upon Christ’s return, the dead will be raised together with those who are alive to face the judgment of God. He or she will either consciously exist in Hell—eternally separated from God by sin, or, in the new Heaven and new earth—eternally in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. John 3:16; Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 9:27; 1 John 2:25; 5:11-13; Revelation 20:15; Revelation 21:1-8