STATEMENT OF BELIEFS:
Throughout this document, numerous references are made to “man”, “him”, or “he” to represent
mankind and not a particular gender. However, only males are biblically eligible for ordination to
serve as pastors or deacons within EBC.
1. Salvation
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ
as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest
sense, salvation includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification.
Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14, 29; 3:3-21, 36; 5:24; 10:9, 28-29;
15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18, 29-39; 10:9-10, 13; 13:11-
14; 1 Corinthians 1:18, 30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13;
Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8, 14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter
1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5.
A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new
creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of
sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning
from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire
personality to Him as Lord and Savior. Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon
principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings
the believer into a relationship of peace and favor with God.
B. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to
God’s purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual perfection through the
presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer. Growth in grace should continue
throughout the regenerate person’s life.
C. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final state of believers with a new and
imperishable body.
2. Scripture
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of God’s revelation of Himself
to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end,
and truth, without any mixture or error, for its matter, and is inerrant in its original text. It reveals the
principles by God judges us: and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious
opinions should be tried.
Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11, 89, 105, 140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18;
22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17-17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25;
2 Peter 1:19-21.
3. God/Trinity
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the
Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other
perfections. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal God reveals
Himself to us as a Trinity of persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes,
but without division of nature, essence, or being.
A. God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of
the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all
loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith
in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:1 1ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah
43:3; 15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans
8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.
B. God the Son
Christ is the eternal, one and only Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ he was
conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the
will of God, taking upon Himself the demands and necessities of human nature and identifying
Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal
obedience, and in His death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from
sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples and
many others as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into
heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God the Father where He is the One Mediator,
partaking of the nature of God and of man, and in whose Person He accomplishes the
reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and
to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever-
present Lord.
Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11;27; 14:33; 16:16, 27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6, 19: Mark
1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18, 29; 10:30, 38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16; 28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20, 28;
Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5, 20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3, 34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8, 24-28; 2
Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9: Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:4-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-
18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15, 24-28; 12:2; 13:8; I Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9;
3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16.
C. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures.
Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts of
sin, of righteousness and of judgement. He calls men to Jesus Christ as Savior, and effects
regeneration. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual
gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believers unto the day of final
redemption. He dwells in all believers and His presence in the Christian is the assurance of
God to bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers
the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark
1:10, 12; Luke 1:35; 4:1, 18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4, 38; 4:31; 5;3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,
39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9:-11, 14-16, 26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11, 13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians
1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8, 14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7;
Revelation 1:10; 22:17.
4. Man
Man was created by God in His image, and is the crowning work of His creation. In the beginning man was
innocent of sin and was endowed by His Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned
against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan, man transgressed the
command of God, and fell from his original innocence; whereby all men inherit a nature and an environment
inclined toward sin, and as soon as they are capable of moral action become transgressors and are under
condemnation. The penalty of man’s sin is separation from God in an eternal place of torment called hell.
Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of
God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that
Christ died for man; therefore every man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23;
5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11.
5. God’s Purpose of Grace
God chose to bestow grace (unmerited favor) to believers by which He regenerates, sanctifies, and glorifies
sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the
end. It is a glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. All
true believers endure to the end. Those who have accepted Christ, and are sanctified by His Spirit, will never
fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect
and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the cause
of Christ, and temporal judgements on themselves, yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation.
Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-8; 1 Samuel 8:4-7,19-22; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31ff.; Matthew 16:18-19; 21:28-45; 24:22, 31; 25:34; Luke 1:68-79; 2:29-32;
19:41-44; 24:44-48; John 1:12-14; 3:16; 5:24; 6:44-45,65; 10:27-29; 15:16; 17:6,12,17-18; Acts 20:32; Romans 5:9-10; 8:28-39; 10:12-15; 11:5-7,26-36;
1 Corinthians 1:1-2; 15:24-28; Ephesians 1:4-23; 2:1-10; 3:1-11; Colossians 1:12-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:12; 2:10, 19; Hebrews 11:39-12:2;
James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:2-5,13; 2:4-10; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:19; 3:2.
6. Baptism & the Lord’s Supper
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the
believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.
It is a testimony to the believer’s faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is a
prerequisite to the privileges of church membership. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience
whereby believers, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Lord
Jesus Christ and anticipate His second coming.
Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11, 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5;
1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12.
7. Last Things
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His
promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ
will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting
punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell
forever in Heaven with the Lord.
Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3;
Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28, 35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18;
5:1ff.; 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff.; 2; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Revelation
1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13.
8. Holy Matrimony
Members of EBC believe that the covenant of marriage is defined by God to be the union of one biological
man and one biological woman. The institution of marriage was given to man by God and cannot be
changed. This truth is reflected in both the Old and New Testaments. In light of this belief, we will not
knowingly allow our facility or staff to be party to an event that is in opposition to our beliefs.
The institution of marriage as the union of one man and one woman predates government and was created
by God from one man and one woman. This unchangeable truth is reflected in the Creation story itself.
Genesis 2:18-24 (HCSB) Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make
a helper as his complement.” So the Lord God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every
bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man
called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of
the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man no helper was found as his complement. So the
Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and
closed the flesh at that place. Then the Lord God made the rib He had taken from the man into a
woman and brought her to the man. And the man said: This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh
of my flesh; this one will be called “woman,” for she was taken from man. This is why a man leaves
his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. The institution of marriage
as the union of one man and one woman is also reflected by the very words of Jesus Christ in the
New Testament.
Matthew 19:4-6 (HCSB) “Haven’t you read,” He replied, “that He who created them in the beginning
made them male and female,” and He also said: “For this reason a man will leave his father and
mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but
one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”
The New Testament further reflects the institution of marriage as the union of one man and one
woman in Paul’s letter to the Church at Ephesus.
Ephesians 5:28-31 (HCSB) In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for
it, just as Christ does for the church, since we are members of His body. For this reason a man will
leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
9. Sexuality
We believe that the very image of God is reflected in every one of His human creations. No other created
being is made in the image of God.
Genesis 1:26-27 (HCSB) Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.
They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that
crawl on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He
created them male and female.
Our biological sex at birth is an infallible expression of His will (Genesis 5:2, Psalm 139:13-14, Roman 9:20-
21, Mark 10:6). Gender Identity is determined by biological sex and not by one’s self-perception – a
perception which is often influenced by fallen nature in ways contrary to God’s design. (Ephesians 4:17-18).
10. Sanctity of Life
We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth
in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every
other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect,
and value all human life. (Psalm 139)
CANCELLATION POLICY:
If a cancellation becomes necessary for any reason, you will receive a full refund of your cleaning deposit and a refund of your security deposit will be returned based on advance notice according to the following:
- More than six months in advance – a full security deposit refund will be returned.
- Three to six months in advance – half of the security deposit will be returned.
- Less than three months – none of the security deposit will be returned.
However, if TLC Retreat is able to fill your vacated reservation dates with another reservation, your full security deposit will be returned at that time.
SECURITY DEPOSITS:
Security deposit is 50% of your rental fee, not including Cleaning deposit.
CLEANING DEPOSITS:
Cleaning deposit is based on the facility rented. Deposits are refundable only by passing an inspection at check-out