Ministry Statements

Core Christian Beliefs

Covenant Affirmations

Purpose

Priorities

Core Values

Covenant Affirmations
(What defines the Evangelical Covenant Church to which we belong)

  • We are an apostolic church. We confess the historic faith of the Apostles upon whom Jesus founded his church.
  • We are a catholic church. We see ourselves to be part of the universal church of Jesus Christ from the days of the apostles until now. We recognize the historic creeds of the broader Christian church including the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed as concise statements of biblical faith.
  • We are a Reformation church. We stand in the mainstream of the sixteenth century Protestant movement that insisted on justification by grace alone through faith alone.
  • We are an evangelical church. We were born out of the revival movements that touched Europe and North America in the nineteenth century. Covenanters affirm a number of evangelical emphases. Among these are:
    • The centrality of the Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, as the authoritative Word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct. We seek to be a people whose lives are shaped by the powerful and living Word of God.
    • The necessity of the new birth for entrance into God’s kingdom through faith in Christ and the importance of continuing growth in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ for sound spiritual health. (John 3:3; 8:31-32)
    • A commitment to the whole Gospel which drives us to involvement in evangelism, mission work, and ministries of compassion and social justice, bridging the boundaries of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, age and status. This commitment flows from Jesus’ Great Commandment to love God with our whole being and our neighbor as we do our self, and from his Great Commission for us to make disciples of all nations. (Matt. 22:37-40; 28:18-20)
    • The church as a fellowship of believers. Therefore, church membership is by confession of personal faith in Jesus Christ. (I Peter 1:3)
    • The ministry of the Holy Spirit, who empowers its witness, guides its mission, and supplies the gifts needed by the Church and its members to exalt Christ.
    • The reality of freedom in Christ, who delivers us from the power of sin and moves us by his grace into a whole new experience of obedience and life. This freedom also creates a climate that allows for differences of opinion in “secondary” matters of interpretation, doctrine and practice.