Statement of Faith (Stated below is the 2008 version of the "EFCA Statement of Faith")
1. The church endorses the following statement of faith as furnished by the
Evangelical Free Church of America. It provides a confession of faith as a
summary of the teachings of the Scriptures and a common testimony of the
doctrinal position of the church. The endorsed statement of faith shall not in any
way replace the Scriptures as the final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
2. The recitation of the Apostles’ Creed has been used traditionally as an expression
of the spirit and faith of the church in the Word of God:
“I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus
Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost;
born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and
buried; He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He
ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from
thence He shall come to Judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy
Spirit, the one holy universal, Christian Church, the communion of Saints; the
forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting. Amen.”
WE BELIEVE
God
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally
existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously
purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for
His own glory.
The Bible
We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments,
through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is
without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation,
and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor
should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that
it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
The Human Condition
We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when
tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by
choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in
Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in
two natures. Jesus-Israel’s promised Messiah-was conceived through the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God
the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.
The Work of Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on
the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and
victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He
convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized
into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells,
illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
The Church
We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s
grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body
of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose
membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two
ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the
gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in
genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.
Christian Living
We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying
power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially,
and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and
justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in
Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s
commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the
gospel in word and deed.
Christ’s Return
We believe in the personal, bodily and premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.
Response and Eternal Destiny
We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by
turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God
will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to
condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal
blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise
of His glorious grace. Amen.
1. The church endorses the following statement of faith as furnished by the
Evangelical Free Church of America. It provides a confession of faith as a
summary of the teachings of the Scriptures and a common testimony of the
doctrinal position of the church. The endorsed statement of faith shall not in any
way replace the Scriptures as the final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
2. The recitation of the Apostles’ Creed has been used traditionally as an expression
of the spirit and faith of the church in the Word of God:
“I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus
Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost;
born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and
buried; He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He
ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from
thence He shall come to Judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy
Spirit, the one holy universal, Christian Church, the communion of Saints; the
forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting. Amen.”
WE BELIEVE
God
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally
existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously
purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for
His own glory.
The Bible
We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments,
through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is
without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation,
and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor
should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that
it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
The Human Condition
We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when
tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by
choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in
Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in
two natures. Jesus-Israel’s promised Messiah-was conceived through the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God
the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.
The Work of Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on
the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and
victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He
convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized
into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells,
illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
The Church
We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s
grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body
of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose
membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two
ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the
gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in
genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.
Christian Living
We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying
power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially,
and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and
justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in
Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s
commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the
gospel in word and deed.
Christ’s Return
We believe in the personal, bodily and premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.
Response and Eternal Destiny
We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by
turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God
will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to
condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal
blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise
of His glorious grace. Amen.