we Believe
The Gospel of Jesus
The Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of Christianity, the message and mission of the Church, and the singular hope of the world.
Everything we believe, and everything we do as a church body is founded on the Gospel and rooted in biblical truth.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
Vision
Live
the gospel
Love
the world
Grow
as a disciple
Gather
together
Our purpose is to reach the world for Christ by equipping disciples to live out their faith: everyone, everywhere, every day.
The three rivers in our logo represent those three components of our purpose: EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE, EVERY DAY — and the resulting four shapes represent the actions we take as a body to fulfill that purpose: LIVE the gospel, LOVE the world, GROW as a disciple, and GATHER together.
We live authentic lives
People are looking for someone to model a Christ-like life. We are real people with real struggles trusting a living Lord everywhere and everyday!
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16
We put others first
Everyone matters at Riverland Hills. We live the Gospel by putting others before ourselves.
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
Philippians 2:3
We serve our Lord
We find joy in serving in our church and community. Volunteering and serving reflects the heart of our Savior.
“Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:28
We model faith at home
Building stronger homes is a priority at Riverland Hills. Our marriage and parenting is a mission field where we live out our faith every day.
“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
We love having Gospel conversations
God has scattered us each week in our community because someone near us needs to hear about Jesus Christ.
“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”
1 Peter 3:15
We impact our community, nation, & world
Riverland Hills is a church focused on missions locally and globally.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
We are rooted in God’s Word
The Bible is our sole authority and everything must be rooted in God’s Word.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17
We are dependent on prayer
Prayer centers our lives on God’s will, moves the hand of God, and empowers His people. Our daily lives should be saturated with prayer.
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
Colossians 4:2
We are generous with God’s resources
Giving reflects the heart of our Lord. We believe generosity is a joy.
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:7
We worship God
The glory of God is the motivation for all we do. Our weekly, worship gathering is designed to remind us that in the center of all things is a glorious and gracious King.
“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.”
Psalm 145:3
We study God’s Word
Disciples grow in their faith by intentionally studying God’s Word and equipping others to study the Word.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Colossians 3:16
We value relationships
When you’re connected to Jesus, you are also connected to His people. Riverland Hills is a family. We are a people who regularly gather for the purpose of loving one another, encouraging one another, and spiritual growth.
“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
Hebrews 3:12-13
Doctrine
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 of error, for its matter.
(Matt. 5:17-18; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21)
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 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
(Deut. 6:4; Acts 1:7-9; Matt. 28:19; John 1:1-3; 4:24)
Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God.
(Gen. 1:26-28; 2:4-7; Acts 17:26-31; Rom. 1:19-32; 3:10-18, 23; 5:18-19; Eph. 2:1- 22)
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. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. 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 him. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.
(John 1:11-14; 3:3-21, 36; Acts 4:12; 16:30-31; Rom. 6:1-23; Phil. 2:12-13; Rev 21:1-22:5)
A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel, observing the two ordinances of Christ, committed to His teachings, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
(Matt. 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11, 21; 5:22-32; 1 Pet 5:1-4)
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. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.
(Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 14:22-26; Acts 2:41-42; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 10:16, 21; 11:23-29)
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.
(Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:14-18; 5:1-5; Rev. 20:11-22:13)
It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of, and from among, all nations.
(Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Rom. 10:13-15)
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary sexes together reflect the image and nature of God. Rejection of one’s genetic sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
(Gen. 1:26-27; Matt. 19:4)
We believe God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage, and that God created man and woman as unique biological persons made to complement each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female.
(Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:5-6; Mark 10:6-9; Rom. 1:26- 27; 1 Cor. 6:9-10)
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of the church.
(Matt. 7:12; 18:15-17; 22:39; Eph. 4:31-32; 1 John 1:9)
Biblical revelation clearly and consistently affirms that human life is formed by God in His image and is therefore worthy of honor and dignity. God alone is the Author of life, and He alone numbers our days, from the moment of conception until natural death. The Bible commands us to honor our parents and the aged. The Baptist Faith & Message (2000) affirms that “children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord” and calls us to “speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death.”
(Gen. 1:27; 9:6; Ex. 20:12; Lev. 19:32; Job 14:5-7; Psalm 39:4; 139:13-16; Eph. 6:2)
Riverland Hills affirms the The Baptist Faith & Message (2000).
Governance
Constitution & Bylaws
On October 23, 2022, our church held a vote in a Special Called Meeting and overwhelmingly approved an updated Constitution and Bylaws of Riverland Hills Baptist Church. This marked the end of a two-year comprehensive review of our organizing documents.
Affiliations
Riverland Hills Baptist Church is affiliated with:
Southern Baptist Convention www.sbc.net
South Carolina Baptist Convention www.scbaptist.org
Lexington Baptist Association www.mylba.org