About

Core Values

We value Bible-centered preaching and teaching

From the very beginning, the church family at Syracuse Bible Church has been committed to the Scriptures as the final authority for our faith and daily living. The Bible is both timely and timeless, relevant to the daily needs of all people at all times. Each Sunday morning the Bible is faithfully and clearly taught and all are challenged to obey it (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

We value authentic worship

Jesus said that the Father is looking for those who worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). At SBC we don’t want to just go through the motions on Sunday morning, we strive to worship God from the heart while proclaiming God’s truths from His Word throughout the service.

We value prayer

Our church family is committed to prayer. We know that in our strength we could never accomplish God’s will for our lives. We daily seek the Lord in prayer and depend upon Him to do His will (Matthew 7:7-11).

We value strong, healthy families

At SBC we work hard to develop strong families; it is a priority for us! We have a passion for children’s ministry. Through Sunday school, Awana, and Train Up a Child Christian Preschool, we are seeking to introduce young children to Christ and help them to know, follow, and serve Him. At the same time, we are equipping parents with God’s Word to lead their families and establish godly homes.

We value outreach and evangelism

We have a passion for the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). We regularly share the Good News of the Gospel on Sunday mornings as well as throughout the week as our church family lives their daily lives (Acts 1:8).

We value biblical fellowship

Fellowship is more than just getting together—it is shared life in Christ. It includes loving one another, serving one another, encouraging one another, carrying one another’s burdens, laughing together, crying together.... Fellowship is the body in action, loving each other as Christ has loved us (John 13:34-35).

We value godly, servant leadership

We believe that God calls certain individuals to positions of leadership and provides the standards for those who serve as leaders. Christ Himself has provided the perfect model of what servant leadership looks like (Mark 10:45). Therefore, we are committed to equipping men as servant leaders and only placing those in leadership positions who meet God’s standards (1 Timothy 3).

We value discipleship

God has commanded us to make disciples. The process of making disciples begins at salvation is followed by water baptism and continues as each disciple learns to obey all that God has commanded us in His Word (Matthew 28:19-20). Through regular teaching and one-on-one discipleship, we strive to help each believer, wherever they might be in their walk with Christ, to grow to maturity and become a fully-devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

We value excellence and quality

We believe that the God of our salvation deserves the best that we have to offer. In all things, we work as working for the Lord and we seek to glorify Him in all that we do (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:23).

We value ministry by every member

At SBC every member is a minister. God has gifted each believer to serve the body. We are committed to training each believer to discover and use his/her gift to build up the body (1 Corinthians 12:7).

We value the spiritual instruction of children

We believe that God loves children and has filled His Word with instruction for the spiritual growth of children. We believe that God gives parents the primary responsibility for the growth and development of their children. We believe that it is essential to begin instructing children with the Word of God at an early age. Therefore, we are committed to being intentional in encouraging parents and partnering with them to provide age-appropriate, biblical instruction for the children of SBC and all whom God would bring to us (Deuteronomy 6:1-9; 32:45-47; Proverbs; Mark 9:24-37; 10:13-16; Ephesians 6:1-4).

Statement of Faith

The Word of God

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct (John 17:17; Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21).

The Trinity

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption (Matt. 28:19; John 1:1-4; 1 John 5:7).

God the Father

We believe in God, the Father, an infinite personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and the He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17; John 4:24; John 17:5).

Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth (Isa. 7:14; John 1:14; Phil. 2:5-11; Heb. 1:2-3; 1 John 1:7).

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide (John 14:26; John 16:7-25; Rom. 8:14-27; Eph. 1:13-14).

Regeneration

We believe that all men are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit (John 1:12-13; John 3:3; 16-17; Acts 20:21; Eph. 2:1-9; Titus 3:5).

The Church

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world (Matt. 16:16-18; Acts 2:38-41; Eph. 2:19-22; Eph. 5:25-27).

Christian Conduct

We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow men; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others, the full stature of maturity in Christ (2 Cor. 9:6-8; Eph. 4:11-16; Phil. 2:14-16; Col 3: 17-23; 1 Thess. 5:17-18).

The Ordinances

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the Lords Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lords Supper was instituted by Christ for the commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:41; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 11:23-32).

The Last Things

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth and the establishment of His Kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked (John 5:28-29; Rev. 20:1-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; Matt. 25:31-46).

Eternal Security

We believe that eternal life is the believer’s present permanent possession and that all true believers, once saved, are kept secure in Christ forever. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the believer. We believe that it is the privilege of all who are born again to be assured that they have eternal life based on the authority of the Word of God (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:39-40; 10:27-30; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10-14; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 John 5:11-13).