About
Pastor Braaten
Pastor Braaten serves as the faithful shepherd of Pine River, where he has committed his life to preaching the Word of God with conviction, clarity, and compassion. Pastor Braaten emphasizes the authority of Scripture, the power of prayer, and the importance of living a Christ-centered life.
With a passion for sound doctrine and personal holiness, Pastor Braaten focuses on equipping believers to grow in their faith, share the Gospel, and serve the Lord with purpose. His messages are rooted in biblical truth, often challenging the congregation to live according to God’s Word and stand firm in their faith in an ever-changing world.
Outside of the pulpit, Pastor Braaten actively engages in discipleship, mentoring individuals and families to deepen their walk with Christ. He has a heart for missions, both locally and globally, and is dedicated to seeing lives transformed through the power of the Gospel.
Pastor Braaten and his family are grateful to serve the Lord alongside the congregation at Pine River and are committed to building a vibrant, God-honoring church community.
Our Beliefs
The Bible
We believe that the Bible, sixty-six books in the Old and New Testament, is without error in its original writing; authored by God using spirit-guided men being thereby verbally and plenarily inspired. It is, therefore, the sole authority for faith and practice, and is not to be added to nor taken from being a complete unit in itself (II Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 6:18).
God the Father
We believe that there is only one living and true God; an infinite, eternal, and perfect spirit. He is a personal Being, the Creator, and the upholder of the universe. We believe that God instantaneously created the heavens and the earth out of nothing in six literal, twenty-four-hour days and He upholds all things by the word of His power (John 14:7, 26; John 4:24; I Peter 1:16; Isaiah 6:3).
Jesus Christ
We believe in the absolute deity of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is divine as no other man can be, being very God, existing in all eternity, and is co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary and is the true God and true man. We believe the death of Christ was a substitutionary sacrifice – the just for the unjust – taking upon Himself the sins of the whole world and thereby becoming the Savior of the lost by satisfying the righteous demands of God. (John 1:1-2; Isaiah 7:14; Philippians 2:6-7).
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the Trinity. He is not a force of influence but possesses all the characteristics of personality. We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and until the rapture, to restrain evil. We believe at the moment of conversion, the Holy Spirit regenerates, baptizes, seals, and permanently indwells the believer. After salvation, He fills, teaches, and leads the believer (I Corinthians 2:11; John 16:8-11; Ephesians 5:18).
Man
We believe that man was created by the direct act of God on the sixth day of creation. He was made in the image and likeness of God. Because of Adam’s sin of disobedience, death has passed upon all mankind. Therefore, we believe all men are born totally depraved in their entire being, totally unable to meet God’s requirements, as well as being guilty before a holy and righteous God. (Genesis 1:26-31; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:2-3).
Salvation
We believe that because of His love, God has provided a way of salvation for all men. This salvation was made available through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, having died for the sins of the whole world. We believe that if one truly repents of his sin and receives Christ as his personal Savior, apart from any human merit, he is eternally secure and can never lose his salvation. (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23; John 10:28).
Church
We believe that a local church is a congregation of baptized believers associated together by a common faith and fellowship in the Word of God. The local church is called to observe the ordinances of Christ (baptism by immersion and the Lord’s supper) and is solely governed by His Word (Matthew 28:19-20; I Corinthians 11:24-32).
Human Sexuality
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, transvestism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender. We believe that God can move an individual from a sinful lifestyle to one that is honoring to Him (Hebrews 13:4; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:18-32; I Corinthians 6:9-20).
Last Things
We believe the next event in the fulfillment of prophecy will be the imminent return of Christ in the air to rapture His bride, the church. We believe in the personal visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal glory of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked. (John 5:28-29; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Thessalonians 5:1-10; Revelation 20).
God the Father
We believe that there is only one living and true God; an infinite, eternal, and perfect spirit. He is a personal Being, the Creator, and the upholder of the universe. We believe that God instantaneously created the heavens and the earth out of nothing in six literal, twenty-four-hour days and He upholds all things by the word of His power (John 14:7, 26; John 4:24; I Peter 1:16; Isaiah 6:3).
Jesus Christ
We believe in the absolute deity of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is divine as no other man can be, being very God, existing in all eternity, and is co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary and is the true God and true man. We believe the death of Christ was a substitutionary sacrifice – the just for the unjust – taking upon Himself the sins of the whole world and thereby becoming the Savior of the lost by satisfying the righteous demands of God. (John 1:1-2; Isaiah 7:14; Philippians 2:6-7).
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the Trinity. He is not a force of influence but possesses all the characteristics of personality. We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and until the rapture, to restrain evil. We believe at the moment of conversion, the Holy Spirit regenerates, baptizes, seals, and permanently indwells the believer. After salvation, He fills, teaches, and leads the believer (I Corinthians 2:11; John 16:8-11; Ephesians 5:18).
Man
We believe that man was created by the direct act of God on the sixth day of creation. He was made in the image and likeness of God. Because of Adam’s sin of disobedience, death has passed upon all mankind. Therefore, we believe all men are born totally depraved in their entire being, totally unable to meet God’s requirements, as well as being guilty before a holy and righteous God. (Genesis 1:26-31; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:2-3).
Salvation
We believe that because of His love, God has provided a way of salvation for all men. This salvation was made available through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, having died for the sins of the whole world. We believe that if one truly repents of his sin and receives Christ as his personal Savior, apart from any human merit, he is eternally secure and can never lose his salvation. (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23; John 10:28).
Church
We believe that a local church is a congregation of baptized believers associated together by a common faith and fellowship in the Word of God. The local church is called to observe the ordinances of Christ (baptism by immersion and the Lord’s supper) and is solely governed by His Word (Matthew 28:19-20; I Corinthians 11:24-32).
Human Sexuality
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, transvestism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender. We believe that God can move an individual from a sinful lifestyle to one that is honoring to Him (Hebrews 13:4; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:18-32; I Corinthians 6:9-20).
Last Things
We believe the next event in the fulfillment of prophecy will be the imminent return of Christ in the air to rapture His bride, the church. We believe in the personal visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal glory of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked. (John 5:28-29; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Thessalonians 5:1-10; Revelation 20).