- We confess that all have disobeyed God, given way to Satan and chosen to sin. Because of sin, humanity has fallen to the enslaving powers of death and eternal hell. (Romans 6:23; Romans 3:9-20)
- Through Jesus Christ, God offers salvation from sin and a new life. We receive God's salvation when we repent and accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We place our faith in God that, by the same power that raised Christ from the dead, we may be saved from sin to follow Christ. (John 3:16; Romans 8:1-4; Romans 3:21-26)
- We believe the church is the assembly of those who have accepted God's offer of salvation through faith in Christ. It is the new community of disciples sent into the world to proclaim God’s reign and to provide a foretaste of the church's glorious hope. It is sustained and empowered by the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-11; Ephesians 2:19-22; Matthew 28:18-20)
- We believe that the baptism of believers with water is a sign of their cleansing from sin. Baptism is also a pledge before the church of their covenant with God to walk in the way of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Believers are baptized into Christ and His body by the Spirit. (Acts 2:38-39; Matthew 28:19-20; Romans 6:1-8)
- We believe that the Lord's Supper is a sign by which the church thankfully remembers the new covenant which Jesus established by his death. In this experience we renew our covenant with God and with each other, and participate in the life and death of Jesus until He comes. We believe that Jesus Christ calls us to serve each other and to express our love to each other in the household of faith as He modeled it to us. (I Corinthians 11:23-32; Luke 22:14-23; John 13:1-17)
- Everything we have and are belongs to God. As servants of God our primary vocation is to be stewards of God’s household. God who in Christ has given us new life has also given us spiritual gifts, time, resources—financial and otherwise, to use for the church’s nurture and mission. As stewards of money and possessions we are to live simply, practice mutual aid within the church, uphold economic justice, and give generously and cheerfully. We are not our own we are bought with a price. (Luke 12:35-48; Philippians 4:11-12; 2 Corinthians 8:13-14; 9:7; James 5:4, Ephesians 5:15-16; Colossians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 6:20.)
- We believe that ministry continues the work of Christ, who gives gifts through the Holy Spirit to all believers, and empowers them for service in the church and in the world. We also believe that God calls particular persons in the church to specific leadership ministries and offices. All who minister are accountable to God and the community of faith as they serve the church in these capacities. Christ invites and enables all Christians to minister to each other in the church and on behalf of the church beyond its boundaries. (Matthew 25:31-40; I Corinthians 12:31-13:13)
- We believe that Jesus calls us to discipleship, to take up our cross and follow Him. Through God's grace, we are empowered to be disciples of Jesus, filled with the Spirit, following His teaching and His path through suffering. As the life, death and resurrection of Jesus take shape in us, we grow in Christ. The Holy Spirit is active in individuals and in communal worship, leading us deeper into God-likeness. (Philippians 3:10; Romans 8:12-17; Matthew 5:10-12; Romans 8:28-39)
- We believe that God intends human life to begin in families and to be blessed through families. Even more, God desires all people to become part of the church, God's family. As single and married members of the church family give and receive nurture and healing, families can grow toward the wholeness that God intends. We believe Christian marriage is God’s plan for one man and one woman for life; homosexual practice rejects the celebration of diversity that God intended in male and female union.
- We recognize in Jesus Christ the way of love and reconciliation and that this is God’s will for his people. In as much as Christ is our example, we commit ourselves to support the Church in its work for peace and by God’s grace will live at peace with all persons according to the level of our understanding. We commit ourselves with integrity to alternatives to violent resolution of conflict, whether on a personal or a national level, in recognition of Christ’s call to be peacemakers. (Matthew 5:38-44; II Corinthians 5:16-21; I Peter 2:9-17.)
Adapted from the "Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective" 1995 Edition
|
