What We Believe

Parkway Bible Church is a non-denominational Bible church that believes in, and is based upon, the historic Christian faith. We articulate our beliefs through three levels of conviction:

 

LEVEL 1 (Primary) Beliefs:

These are the foundational convictions of Parkway Bible Church. These beliefs align us with historic, confessional, evangelical, orthodox Christianity. When it comes to our primary beliefs, the elders of Parkway Bible Church have strong convictions and seek alignment from our partners.

1. The Authority and Inerrancy of Scripture

We believe the Bible, as revealed in the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God, sufficient for all matters of faith and life.
Key Scriptures: 2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21; Hebrews 4:12; Matthew 5:17–18; Psalm 119:105

2. The Triune Nature of God

We believe in one God who eternally exists in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—equal in divine essence, distinct in role.
Key Scriptures: Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14

3. The Full Deity and Humanity of Jesus Christ

We believe Jesus is fully God and fully man, born of the virgin Mary, sinless in life, crucified for our sins, bodily resurrected, and ascended to the Father’s right hand.
Key Scriptures: John 1:1–14; Colossians 1:15–20; Hebrews 1:1–4; Hebrews 4:15

4. The Dignity and Depravity of Humanity

We believe all people are created in God’s image and have inherent dignity, but are sinful by nature and choice, alienated from God, and unable to save themselves.
Key Scriptures: Genesis 1:26–27; Romans 3:9–23; Psalm 14:2–3

5. The Substitutionary Death and Resurrection of Christ

We believe Jesus died as our substitute for sin, was buried, and rose again bodily, securing our salvation: justification, sanctification, and eternal glorification.
Key Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21

6. Salvation by Grace Alone through Faith Alone in Christ Alone

We believe salvation is a gift of God’s grace, received through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, and not based on human merit.
Key Scriptures: Ephesians 2:8–9; Titus 3:5–7; John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10

7. The Indwelling and Empowering Work of the Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit indwells all believers, transforming and empowering them for godly living and ministry.
Key Scriptures: Romans 8:9–11; Galatians 5:16–25; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20

8. The Church

We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is His body and bride. We believe it is the responsibility of the Church to bring glory to God as it participates in world evangelization to fulfill the Lord’s command to make disciples among all nations.

Key Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:20-23; Ephesians 4:15; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Matthew 28:18-20

9. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ prescribed that His Church observe two ordinances: water baptism which portrays the believer’s submission to and union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection, and the Lord’s Supper to commemorate His death until He comes again.

Key Scriptures: Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:41-42; Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

10. Biblical Marriage, Sexuality, and Gender

We believe that God created two biological sexes: male and female. We believe that Biblical marriage is a covenant between one man and one woman, and it is the only God-ordained context for sexual intimacy.
Key Scriptures: Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–9; Romans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11

11. Satan’s Judgment

We believe that Satan, a fallen angel, is the god of this age, the adversary of Christ and His Church, and that his destiny is eternal punishment.

Key Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians 6:10-12; Revelation 12:9; Revelation 20:1-3; Revelations 20:7-10

12. The Personal Return of Christ and Eternal Destiny

We believe in the visible, bodily return of Jesus Christ, the final judgment, the eternal joy of believers in God’s presence, and eternal punishment in hell for those without Christ.
Key Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10; Revelation 20:11–15

LEVEL 2 (Secondary) Beliefs

As stated above, the elders of Parkway Bible Church have strong convictions about our primary beliefs and seek agreement from our partners. When it comes to secondary beliefs, the elders have clarity and seek unity from our partners. You do not have to agree with our positions on secondary issues to be a Christian or even to be a partner. However, we want you to have clarity on where we stand on these issues so that the church family can be unified. We expect those who serve on our staff and elder board to agree with our secondary beliefs.

1. Church Government and Gender Roles in Church

Parkway Bible Church is led by a team of elders. We believe Scripture teaches that the office of pastor and elder, along with the responsibility of authoritative preaching on behalf of the elders, is reserved for qualified men. At the same time, we affirm the equal worth and dignity of both men and women as image-bearers of God. We joyfully recognize that women are gifted by the Spirit and called to lead, teach, and disciple in ways that flourish under the shepherding care and authority of the male eldership.
Key Scriptures: Genesis 1:27; Acts 14:23; 1 Timothy 2:12; 1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9; Titus 2:3–5; 1 Peter 5:1–4

2. Spiritual Gifts

We believe all the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament continue today and should be pursued and practiced under the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. The gifts are given by the Holy Spirit for the building up of the body.
Key Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12–14; Romans 12:3–8; Ephesians 4:11–16

3. End Times

We believe in a future, personal, and physical return of Jesus Christ and the bodily resurrection of the dead. As a church, we hold a premillennial position, believing that Christ will return before the future millennial reign described in Revelation 20. While we affirm this as the best biblical interpretation, we acknowledge diversity among believers concerning details of the second coming.
Key Scriptures: Revelation 20:1–6; Matthew 24:29–31; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

LEVEL 3 (Tertiary) Beliefs

When it comes to tertiary beliefs, we are very open-handed as a congregation. We may have personal positions and opinions, but we do not expect all our partners to align behind one position or conviction. Instead, we ask our partners to have compassion and understanding toward other people’s personal views. What kinds of issues fall into the level 3 category for us?

Key Examples:

1. Worship Style

Parkway Bible Church is contemporary in our worship style and open to using modern technology to enhance our experience of God’s truth in worship. The form (of our worship style) will continue to change as we adapt to new tools and means for encountering God. While the forms will change, the functions will remain the same in obedience to Scripture (the public reading and preaching of God’s Word, singing, sacraments, confession, etc.).

2. Politics

Parkway Bible Church does not take official positions on political candidates because we have such a wide variety of political opinions within our church. While political issues will be addressed as needed from Scripture, the pulpit of Parkway will not be used for political purposes. The partners of Parkway are asked to represent Christ well in their public tone and debate of political issues and to be careful to not alienate people who are investigating the gospel.

Other examples:

• Views on the age of the earth and creation timelines
• Bible translation preferences
• Philosophy of education (public, private, homeschool, etc.)
• Alcohol use in moderation
• Observance of holidays or the church calendar

Guiding Scriptures: Romans 14:1–23; 1 Corinthians 8:1–13; Philippians 2:1–4

– Parkway’s full Principles & Practices