Welcome to Bear Creek

God is at work throughout San Joaquin County, and we believe He has strategically placed us right in the middle of it. There’s a place for you here - and we’ll help you find it.

Our Values

WE ARE A PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE THERE IS MORE

1 Corinthians 2:9

WE ARE A PEOPLE OF PRAYER

Matthew 21:12-14



WE ARE A PEOPLE OF WORD & SPIRIT

Psalm 1:1-3, 119, & 105 Acts 2:17

2 Timothy 3:16-17

WE ARE A PEOPLE OF GOD’S PRESENCE

Exodus 33:14-16

WE ARE A PEOPLE OF DIVERSITY

Ephesians 4:1-3

Revelation 7:9

WE ARE A WELCOMING PEOPLE

Matthew 11:28

Romans 10:9

WE ARE A GENEROUS PEOPLE

Acts 20:35

Our Beliefs

Statements of Faith

  • The Word of God

    We believe the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired word of God, inerrant in the original writings, complete as a revelation of God's will for salvation, and the supreme and final authority in faith and life. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21)

  • The Trinity

    We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each is fully God, sharing the same nature and attributes. (Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19)

  • God the Father

    We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe He concerns himself mercifully in the affairs of mankind. He hears and answers prayer and saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (John 16:23-27; Galatians 4:4-6; Ephesians 1:3, 17-23)

  • God the Son

    We believe that Jesus Christ is God's eternal Son. He is true God and true man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. We also believe in His sinless life, His substitutionary atonement, His bodily resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven, His priestly intercession on behalf of His people, and His personal, physical, and visible return from heaven. (Matthew 1:18, 23; Luke 24:1-8; John 1:1, 14; Acts 1:11; 11 Corinthians 5:19-21)

  • God the Holy Spirit

    We believe the Holy Spirit is a person and is fully God. He regenerates, baptizes into the body of Christ, indwells every believer, guides and empowers believers, and gives gifts to all believers to be used in ministry. (Matthew 28:19; John 3:5, 16:13; Acts 1:8, 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 6:11, 19, 12:4-13; Ephesians 3:16, 4:11-16)

  • Humanity

    We believe God created mankind, male and female, in the image of God and free from sin. We further believe that man, because of his fall (in Adam), is a sinner by nature and choice and is therefore spiritually dead, in need of salvation. (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7, 3:19, 5:12-21, 6:23)

  • Salvation

    We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We further believe that this salvation is based upon the sovereign grace of God, was purchased by Christ on the cross, and is received by persons through faith, apart from any human merit, works, or ritual. Salvation results in righteous living, good work, and proper social concern. (John 1:12, 3:3-7, 5:24; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Timothy 2:5)

  • The Church

    We believe that the "Church" is the spiritual body of which Christ is the head. The true church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. This body expresses itself in local assemblies whose members have been baptized upon a confession of faith and have associated themselves to celebrate, cultivate, care and communicate their faith in a loving manner. The ordinances of this Church are the Lord's Supper and believer's baptism. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8, 2:41-47; Ephesians 5:21; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 10:34-25)

  • Separation of Church from State

    We believe the Church to be self-governing in function and free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority. We further believe every human being is directly responsible to God in matters of faith and life. (Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:1; 1 Timothy 2:1-6)

  • Christian Conduct

    We believe the supreme task of every believer is to glorify God in their life. The believer should strive to live blamelessly before God, be a faithful steward of their possessions, and seek to realize for themselves the full statute of maturity in Christ. (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 1:28; 1 Timothy 6:6-9; 1 Peter 1:14-15)

  • Marriage

    Marriage is a sacrament of the Church. This church defines "marriage" as the exclusive covenantal union of one man and one woman in which such union is a lifetime commitment. A civil government's sanction of a union will be recognized as a legitimate marriage by the church only to the extent that it is consistent with the definition of "marriage" found in our Statement of Faith. (Genesis 1:27-28, 2:21-24; Matthew 19:4-6)

  • Human Sexuality

    Legitimate sexual relations are exercised solely within marriage. Hence, sexual activities outside of marriage (referred to in the New Testament as "porneia"... porneia), including but not limited to, adultery, premarital sex, homosexuality, and pedophilia, are inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible and the church. Further, lascivious conduct, transgender behavior, and the creation and/or viewing of pornography, are incompatible with the biblical witness. (Genesis 1:26-27, Deuteronomy 22:5, Romans 1:26-29)

  • End Times

    We believe in the bodily resurrection of the saved and lost, the eternal conscious existence of all people either in heaven or in hell, and in divine judgments, rewards, and punishments. (John 5:29; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, 15:51-58; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 11 John 8; Revelation 19-20)