We ask churches that share building space and ministry with us to agree to the following shared beliefs.
Shared Beliefs
We affirm that...
There is only one God, eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and there is no God apart from him.[1]
Jesus Christ is our Lord, God manifest in the flesh, who was born of a virgin, lived a sinless human life, performed miraculous signs, voluntarily died for the sins of the world, was resurrected bodily, ascended to reign at the right hand of the Father where he mediates as eternal high priest, and who will one day appear in power and glory to judge the living and the dead and usher in eternity.[2]
Because all have sinned and stand condemned before God, the Salvation of humans is accomplished only through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ by faith apart from works and is received in an initial point of faith and new life by the gift of the Holy Spirit, a lifetime of deepening communion with God and surrender to the regenerating work of his Holy Spirit, and a promised future day of glorification and transformation into eternal glory.[3]
The Holy Spirit dwells within those who put their faith in Jesus Christ and he empowers and gifts them to live a holy life, to witness and work for their Lord, and also remains as guarantor and seal of full eternal salvation in Jesus Christ.[4]
The Holy Scriptures were originally given by God, divinely inspired, are entirely trustworthy, and stand alone as the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.[5]
A Life of Holiness is common to all who belong to Jesus Christ, and it requires a commitment to love others as Christ has loved us, to embrace humility and service, purity, forgiveness, patience, kindness, genuine love, truthfulness, self-control, and other virtues set forth in Scripture. We also reject arrogance, theft, gossip, drunkenness, quarreling, greed and other behaviors contrary to the clear instruction of Scripture, and commit to exercise sexuality only within the context of marriage between one man and one woman.[6]
The Unity of the Spirit of all true believers is required of the Church, the Body of Christ. The Kingdom of God belongs to Jesus Christ, not to any of us, so we commit to collaborate in loving service and unity with other believers in God’s Kingdom work, refusing to be competitive, exclusionary, or territorial about Christ’s work. We will respect the right of others with whom we partner to differ in their views on matters not addressed in this doctrinal statement and practice loving unity that embraces a diversity of opinions in matters of conscience.[7]
The Church of Jesus Christ is global and international, and it is a central goal of the local church to surrender to the Kingdom priorities of Jesus and intentionally work toward reconciliation of all peoples, tribes, cultures, and languages within our own community.[8]
Final Judgment before Jesus Christ awaits every human being; those who have faith in Jesus will be granted resurrection, glorification, and life eternal in a renewed creation while those who have rejected faith in Jesus will face eternal damnation.[9]
[1] Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1, 14, 6:27; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 3:14, 17; Ephesians 4:4-6; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:14-15.
[2] Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35, 24:36-43; John 1:1, 6:14, 10:17-18, 20:30-31; Acts 1:9, 10:42; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 8:1-2, 10:12-13; 2 Peter 3:8-13; 1 John 2:2.
[3] Romans 3:23, 5:1, 8:9, 23-25; 1 Corinthians15:51-57; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 2:12-13; Titus 3:3-7; Hebrews 9:22-26; 1 John 1:7-8.
[4] Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9, 13-14; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19-20, 12:4-11; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 1:13-14.
[5] Psalm 119:105; Isaiah 40:8, Matthew 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21.
[6] Matthew 15:18-20; Mark 7:21-23; Romans 1:28-32, 13:13-14; 1 Corinthians 5:9-11, 6:9-11; 2 Corinthians 6:4-8, 12:20-21; Galatians 5:16-26; Ephesians 4:31-32, 5:3-11; Philippians 4:8-9; Colossians 3:5-17; 1 Timothy 1:9-10, 4:12, 6:3-11; 2 Timothy 2:22-26, 3:2-5, 10; Tit. 3:3; James 3:17-18; 1 Peter 2:2, 3:8-9, 4:3, 15; 2 Peter 1:5-7; Revelation 21:8, 22:14-15.
[7] Mark 9:38-41; John 13:34-35; Romans 14:1-13; 1 Corinthians 12:12-26; Galatians 5:13-15; Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:1-6; Philippians 2:3-4; Colossians 1:18.
[8] Matthew 28:19-20; John 17:20-23; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Galatians 3:27-29; Ephesians 2:11-22; Revelation 7:9-10.
[9] Isaiah 65:17, 66:22; Matthew 19:28; John 3:16, 5:24; Acts 3:19-21; Romans 8:19-22, 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10; 2 Peter 3:9-13; Revelation 20:15, 21:1-4.