We believe that the Bible is the Word of God and contains one harmonious and sufficiently complete system of doctrine. We believe in the full inspiration of the Word of God. We hold the Word of God to be the only authority in all matters and assert that no doctrine can be true or essential, if it does not find a place in this Word.

We believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Author and Creator of all things. The Old Testament reveals God in diverse manners, by manifesting his nature, character, and dominions. The Gospels in the New Testament give us knowledge of God the "Father," showing the relationship of God to Jesus as Father, or representing Him as the Father in the Godhead, and Jesus himself that Son.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Second person in the Godhead of the Trinity or Triune Godhead. We believe that Jesus was and is eternal in his person and nature as the Son of God who was with God in the beginning of creation. We believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin called Mary according to the scripture, thus giving rise to our fundamental belief in the Virgin Birth.

We believe that Jesus Christ became the "suffering servant" to man; this suffering servant came seeking to redeem man from sin and to reconcile him back to God, his Father. We believe that Jesus Christ is standing now as mediator between God and man.

We believe the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, proceeds from the Father and the Son, is of the same substance, equal to power and glory, and is together with the Father and the Son, to be believed in, obeyed, and worshipped. The Holy Ghost is a gift bestowed upon the believer for the purpose of equipping and empowering the believer, making him a more effective witness for service in the world. He teaches and guides one into all truth.

We believe that the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is an experience subsequent to conversion and sanctification and that tongue-speaking is the consequence of the baptism in the Holy Ghost with the manifestations of the fruit of the spirit. We believe that we are not baptized with the Holy Ghost in order to be saved.

When one receives a baptismal Holy Ghost experience, we believe one will speak with a tongue unknown to oneself according to the sovereign will of Christ. To be filled with the Spirit means to be Spirit controlled. Since the charismatic demonstrations were necessary to help the early church be successful in implementing the command of Christ, we believe that a Holy Ghost experience is mandatory for all men today.

We believe that man was created holy by God, composed of body and soul. We believe that man, by nature, is sinful and unholy. Being born in sin, he needs to be born again, sanctified and cleansed from all sins by the blood of Jesus. We believe that man is saved by confessing and forsaking his sins, and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, and that having become a child of God, by being born again and adopted into the family of God, he may, and should, claim the inheritance of the sons of God, namely the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

Sin, the Bible teaches, began in the angelic world and is transmitted into the blood of the human race through disobedience and deception motivated by unbelief. Adam's sin carried with it permanent pollution or depraved human nature to all his descendants — this is called "original sin." Sin can now be defined as a volitional transgression against God and a lack of conformity to the will of God.

We conclude that man by nature is sinful and has fallen from a glorious and righteous state, and has become unrighteous and unholy. Man therefore must be restored to his state of holiness by being born again.

Salvation deals with the application of the work of redemption to the sinner with his restoration to divine favor and communion with God. This redemptive operation of the Holy Ghost upon sinners is brought about by repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, which brings conversion, faith, justification, regeneration, sanctification, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

Repentance is the work of God which results in a change of mind in respect to man's relationship to God. Faith is a certain conviction wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit as to the truth of the Gospel. Sanctification is that gracious and continuous operation of the Holy Ghost by which He delivers the justified sinner from the pollution of sin and renews his whole nature in the image of God.

The Bible uses the term "angel" (a heavenly body) clearly and primarily to denote messengers or ambassadors of God. Their duty in heaven is to praise God, to do God's will, and to behold his face. The Bible indicates that they accompanied God in the Creation, and also that they will accompany Christ in His return in Glory.

Demons denote unclean or evil spirits; they are sometimes called devils or demonic beings. They are evil spirits belonging to the unseen or spiritual realm. The New Testament speaks of the Devil as Tempter and tells of the works of Satan, the Devil, and Demons as combating righteousness and good in any form, proving to be an adversary to the saints. Their chief power is exercised to destroy the mission of Jesus Christ.

We believe in their power and purpose. We believe they can be subdued and conquered as in the commandment to the believer by Jesus: "In my name they shall cast out Satan and the work of the Devil."

The Church forms a spiritual unity of which Christ is the divine head. It is animated by one Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. It professes one faith, shares one hope, and serves one King. It is the citadel of the truth and God's agency for communicating to believers all spiritual blessings.

The name of our Church, "CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST," is supported by 1 Thessalonians 2:14 and other passages in the Pauline Epistles. The word "Church" or "Ekklesia" was first applied to the Christian society by Jesus Christ in Matthew 16:18.

We believe in the second coming of Christ; that He shall come from heaven to earth, personally, bodily, and visibly, and that the Church, the bride, will be caught up to meet Him in the air. We admonish all who have this hope to purify themselves as He is pure.

The Church of God in Christ believes in and practices Divine Healing. It is a commandment of Jesus to the Apostles. Jesus affirms his teachings on healing by explaining to His disciples that healing the afflicted is by faith. Therefore, we believe that healing by faith in God has scriptural support and ordained authority.

James' writings in his epistle encourage Elders to pray for the sick, lay hands upon them, and anoint them with oil, and that prayers with faith shall heal the sick and the Lord shall raise them up. Healing is still practiced widely and frequently in the Church of God in Christ.

The Church of God in Christ believes that miracles occur to convince men that the Bible is God's Word. A miracle can be defined as an extraordinary visible act of Divine power, wrought by the efficient agency of the will of God, which has as its final cause the vindication of the righteousness of God's word. We believe that the works of God which were performed during the beginnings of Christianity do and will occur even today where God is preached, faith in Christ is exercised, the Holy Ghost is active, and the Gospel is proclaimed in truth.

The Church Of God In Christ recognizes three ordinances as having been instituted by Christ himself and therefore binding upon the church practice:

A. The Lord's Supper (Holy Communion) — The Lord's Supper symbolizes the Lord's death and suffering for the benefit and in the place of His people. It also symbolizes the believer's participation in the crucified Christ. The communicant by faith enters into a special spiritual union of his soul with the glorified Christ.

B. Feet Washing — Feet Washing is practiced and recognized as an ordinance in our Church because Christ, by His example, showed that humility characterized greatness in the Kingdom of God, and that service rendered to others gave evidence that humility, motivated by love, exists.

C. Water Baptism — We believe that Water Baptism is necessary as instructed by Christ. However, we do not believe that water baptism alone is a means of salvation, but is an outward demonstration that one has already had a conversion experience and has accepted Christ as personal Savior. As Pentecostals, we practice immersion, because it corresponds more closely to the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord.