The mission of Highlands Church is to help dechurched people become more fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

The sole basis of our belief is the Bible, which is uniquely God-inspired, without error, and the final authority on all matters on which it bears.

Our church is built upon the hope and saving grace of Jesus Christ. We believe that Jesus is "the way the truth and the life" and that there really is no other road to health and happiness, balance and wholeness, freedom and eternity except through belief in Jesus Christ. We believe that Jesus is simultaneously both fully God and fully human. The power of Jesus stems from his forgiveness of our sins, his suffering and death while on a cross, his example of love while he was in this world, and most important his resurrection from the dead.

The nature of God is extremely complex, but essentially consists of three persons in one being - Trinity. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons, one God. Through the Bible we learn that God is known by many different names. A few of these are; Adonai, El-Shadai, Ruach, Pneuma, Lamb of God, Savior, Messiah, Son of Man, and Salvation (yeshu 'ah).

We believe that God created the cosmos out of nothing, fashioned both men and women in God's own image and called creation "good". We believe that humanity was made perfect and then fell from perfection as a result of its own sinful activity. Ever since humans first sinned, they have lived in a "state of sin". We believe that living in sin is both the hard reality of being human, as well as a daily result of our falling short of the perfection of God. Sin is separation from God, separation from one another and separation from our self.

We believe that The Holy Spirit is an often overlooked but very important dimension of God's threefold nature. We believe that The Holy Spirit heals us, cleanses us, and sustains us. We believe that The Holy Spirit represents the greatest hope for the world, and is available and accessible to us through prayer, reading the Bible, through song, and through worship.

The primary source by which we know God is through the Bible.  The Bible is made up of two very different but equally important parts; The Old Testament and the New Testament.  We believe that both the Old and New Testaments are the “unique” and definitive account of God’s presence and power in the world.  The Old Testament and the New Testament work to together to demonstrate God’s love and justice.  Our task as Christians is to love as God loves, to heal as the Holy Spirit heals, and to die and live as Christ died and lives.   
There are two “sacraments” in our tradition: Baptism and Communion.  We believe that they are both outward signs of the invisible grace of God in our lives.  Baptism by water is a sign of a cleansing of sin and a renewing of life.  Communion is the participation-in and declaration-of Christ’s death and resurrection - until such a time when Christ will come again. 
We believe that God works through many different types of Christian churches.   Together, those who believe in Jesus Christ and who follow Christ’s teachings make up the “Church Universal”.  We believe that God calls both men and women to serve in all forms of church leadership – including the ordination of minister.  We believe that the central mission of all churches should be to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).  At the Highlands Church, we seek to carry this mission out with kindness, grace, humility and love.   
The Highlands Church is a member church of The Presbyterian Church (USA).  The Presbyterian Church (USA) is a denomination of the Reformed tradition.  As members of The Presbyterian Church (USA) we believe that we have a special covenant with Abraham and Moses (just as the Israelites did) to ultimately be fulfilled in the promise of salvation with God in heaven.  To this end, we believe-in and joyfully anticipate the future hope of seeing the resurrected Christ, of living with God, and of being with the Holy Spirit, gathered with all believers in everlasting life.

If you should have any questions about our statement of faith or faith in God generally, we want to invite you to make an appointment with our Pastor Graham Baird.