The Purpose of God

We affirm our belief in the one-eternal God, Creator and Lord of the world, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who govern all things according to the purpose of his will. He has been calling out from the world a people for himself, and sending his people back into the world to be his servants and his witnesses, for the extension of his kingdom, the building up of Christ’s body, and the glory of his name.

The Authority and Power of the Bible

We affirm the divine inspiration, truthfulness and authority of both Old and New Testament Scriptures in their entirety as the only written word of God, without error in all that it affirms, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. We also affirm the power of God’s word to accomplish his purpose of salvation.

The Uniqueness and Universality of Christ

We affirm that there is only one Savior and only one gospel.  Jesus Christ, being himself the only God-man and son of our Lord, who gave himself as the only ransom for sinners, is the only mediator between God and people.

The Nature of Evangelism

To evangelize is to proclaim the good news through word and deed that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures, and that as the reigning Lord he now offers the forgiveness of sins and the liberating gifts of the Spirit to all who repent and believe.

Christian Social Responsibility

We affirm that God is both the Creator and the Judge of all men. We therefore should share his concern for justice and reconciliation throughout human society and for the liberation of men and women from every kind of oppression.  We also affirm that all people should be respected with dignity and love.

The Church and Evangelism

We affirm that Christ sends his redeemed people into the world as the Father sent him, and that this calls for a similar deep and costly penetration of the world through the sacrificial service of evangelism.

Cooperation in Evangelism

We affirm that the Church’s visible unity in truth is God’s purpose.  Evangelism summons us to unity.  Evangelism also summons us to unity, because our oneness strengthens our witness, just as our disunity undermines our gospel of reconciliation.

Churches in Evangelistic Partnership

As a new missionary movement begins, we affirm the need to partner with everyone in the body of Christ across the globe.  Through the work of the Spirit, a growing partnership of churches will develop and the universal character of Christ’s Church will be more clearly exhibited.

The Urgency of the Evangelistic Task

More than 2,700 million people, which is more than two-thirds of all humanity, have yet to be evangelized. We are ashamed that so many have been neglected but realize that right now there is a unique receptivity to the Gospel around the world.

Evangelism and Culture

The development of strategies for world evangelization calls for imaginative pioneering methods that take into account the beauty of human culture while acknowledging the supremacy of Scripture over culture.

Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality

We believe that God creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. The term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union. God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. Any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual or transgender conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful. God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin.

Discipleship and Leadership

We confess that we have sometimes pursued church growth at the expense of church depth and that some missions work has been too slow to equip national leaders. In every nation and culture there should be effective development for pastors and laity in doctrine, discipleship, evangelism, nurture and service. Such development should not rely on any stereotyped methodology but should be developed by creative local initiatives according to biblical standards.

Spiritual Conflict

We believe that we are engaged in constant spiritual warfare with the principalities and powers of evil, who are seeking to overthrow the Church and frustrate its task of world evangelization.

Freedom and Persecution

It is the God-appointed duty of every government to secure conditions of peace, justice and liberty in which the Church may obey God, serve the Lord Jesus Christ, and preach the gospel without interference.

The Power of the Holy Spirit

We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Father sent his Spirit to bear witness to his Son; without his witness ours is futile.  Conviction of sin, faith in Christ, new birth and Christian growth are all his work.  The Spirit also calls the Church into mission and evangelism.

The Return of Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly, in power and glory, to consummate his salvation and his judgment and we look forward with eager anticipation to his coming.

(Adapted from The Lausanne Covenant)

Statement Of Faith March 25, 2012