About New Life Church

1. We believe in the existence of one Creator God, that He is perfect, and that He exists as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, even though it’s difficult to fully comprehend.  (Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 5:48, Matthew 28:19)
2. We believe that Jesus is God, but that He also walked on earth as a man.  He was born to a virgin named Mary and even though He was perfect, He was punished to die on a Roman cross.  He paid the price for the sins of those who believe in Him, so that we don’t have to pay the punishment ourselves – none of it.  Jesus rose from the dead, He is alive today, and plans to return to earth again to deal with evil once and for all. (Philippians 2:6-11, Luke 1:34-38, 1 Peter 3:18, Hebrews 2:9, Acts 2:23-24, Matthew 26:64)
3. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person that has been sent after Jesus’ return to heaven.  The Holy Spirit encourages us, helps guide and teach us, enables us to better understand God’s Word and to resist temptations in our lives.  He also convinces us when we have done wrong.  (John 14:15-18, John 16:7-11, Acts 1:8)
4. We believe that the Old and New Testaments in the Bible were given without error … that God directed the writing of them and that they contain all that we need to live effectively in this world and lead us on the path to a relationship with God.  The Bible is the source of truth for how we live our lives. (2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Timothy 3:15-16)
5. We believe that man is the greatest of God’s creations because we were given a soul and a spirit, just like God.  When Adam and Eve, the first humans, disobeyed God, physical and spiritual death became part of our reality.  We believe that everyone is born with a natural tendency to disobey God, which we call sin.  Sin then separates us from a vital relationship with God and the only way for that relationship to be restored was through Jesus’ death on the cross.  His death paid the penalty for the sins we commit.  Those people who claim Christ’s sacrifice for themselves start a new relationship with God that will continue in heaven and never end.  Those who reject Christ are destined to exist without Him in hell.  (Genesis 1:26-27,Romans 3:23, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, Revelation 21:1-4, Revelation 21:8)
6. Jesus Christ provides the possibility for a new relationship with God, which is available to all people.  Those who admit they have sinned and then believe in Jesus enter that new relationship without any guilt before God.  They truly become children of God.  (John 3:16-17, Galatians 3:26, Titus 3:4-7)
7. God wants every Christ-follower to live fully every day, in such a manner that evil in this world has minimal effect in or through us.  When we rely on the Holy Spirit, we can live a pure life and be more effective in touching other people’s lives.  When people decide to become Christ-followers, the Holy Spirit begins to control as much of our lives as we allow Him to.  (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Acts 1:8, Romans 6:1-14)
8. We believe that when Jesus died on the cross, more than just paying the penalty for our sins, He provided for the healing of our bodies as well.  We pray, then, for the sick and believe that if God chooses to heal the person, He can heal and He does heal.  (Matthew 8:16-17, James 5:13-16)
9. We believe the Church consists of everyone who trusts in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for their sins and who has a relationship with God as a result.  We follow Christ, believing that He is the leader of the Church and that we have been told by Him to share about Him with people throughout the world.  There are true followers of Jesus in thousands of different types of church who believe many of these same truths.  The local church (such as New Life), is a group of Christ-followers that has joined together to worship God, to grow in our understanding of Him and the Bible, to pray, to build relationships with each other, and to share about Him with others.  (Ephesians 1:22-23, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:41-47)
10. We believe that there will come a time when both just and unjust people will be resurrected, brought back to life.  Those who have claimed forgiveness through Jesus will be resurrected to live forever.  Those who have not claimed forgiveness will be resurrected to judgment.  (1 Corinthians 15:20-23, John 5:28-29)
11. We believe that Jesus will return someday to the earth.  We believe that his return will be visible, that it could happen at any time, and that He will rule over the earth.  We hope in this, and because we believe it could happen any time, we want to be ready by living correctly and serving others. (Luke 21:27, Titus 2:11-14)

Early in 2010, a small group of Christ-followers discussed the possibility of starting a new church in the city of Aitkin.  After much thought and prayer, this group of believers met for worship for the first time in June 2010 at the Aitkin High School choir room.  Feeling that it would be beneficial to be connected to a larger group of churches, the leadership of the church contacted and met with different denominational leaders and decided to become a part of The Christian & Missionary Alliance.