Statement of Faith

  • We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts.
  • We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons and that these are equal in every divine perfection.
  • We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love.
  • We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit.
  • We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ.
  • We believe that all men are sinners by nature and by choice and are therefore under condemnation.
  • We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
  • We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members.
  • We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellowmen.
  • We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
  • We believe that every human being has direct relations with God and is responsible to go alone in all matters of faith.  Each church is independent and is free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority.
  • We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization.
  • We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom.

Background and History

Bear Creek Community Church was planted in 1984 by Crossroads Bible Church in Bellevue Washington, and we are affiliated with Converge Northwest (part of Converge Worldwide).  Converge is a strategic network of churches focused on transforming lives and communities with the hope of the gospel both locally and around the world.

Bear Creek Church met in a local school until March 1991 when they moved into their new building at the present location. The church began with 13 families and Rev. Dave Chapman as the pastor. Rev. Chapman left the church in March of 1990, and Rev. Norm McLean was called in December of 1990.  Rev. Norm McLean's first Sunday was February 1991, and he served through March 2006.

Pastor Mike San Martino was called in June 2007, and began serving August 2007.

Our Purpose

We are convinced that Jesus Christ can meet every need of the human heart. As a Bible believing and evangelical church, we stand without apology for the Bible as the Word of God.  We seek to know and proclaim its contents and to live its message. We desire to exalt our Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

Our Priorities

Bear Creek Community Church is committed to having priorities that are those revealed by God in the Bible. Here are the priorities that we hold to:

  • A CHRIST-CENTERED CHURCH: Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself" (John 12:32). Here at Bear Creek, we want to focus on the person and work of the Lord Jesus because He alone is worthy of all adoration, praise and service.
  • A PRAYING CHURCH: Our Church owes its very life to the sovereignty of God and the prayers of His people. Jesus said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer..." (Matthew 21:13).
  • A TEACHING CHURCH: Our priority is to teach the Word of God, the Bible, and help train and equip every Christian to serve the Lord in the local church (Ephesians 4:11-12).
  • A CARING CHURCH: We care about you personally because God does. You have infinite value in the eyes of God. We want to help meet your needs as a person in whatever way we can.
  • A FAMILY-CENTERED CHURCH: Our goal is to meet the spiritual needs of your family. We want to build healthy marriages and to teach parents how to raise their children in the love and admonition of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Ephesians 5:22-6:4).
  • A SHARING CHURCH: Bear Creek has as its goal to "Make Disciples" of every person who responds to the Good News of Jesus Christ - beginning locally and extending to the whole world as God enables.
  • A FELLOWSHIPPING CHURCH: We seek to focus on genuine Christian fellowship. 1 John 1:3 says that "...our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son, Jesus Christ." As we put God first and as "...we walk in the light as He is in the light," our fellowship will be genuine and pleasing to the Lord.