Our Beliefs
EVANGELICAL COVENANT CHURCH'S AFFIRMATIONS & BELIEFS
First Covenant's Affirmations
1. We affirm the centrality of the Word of God.
2. We affirm the necessity of the new birth.
3. We affirm a commitment to the whole mission of the Church.
4. We affirm the Church as a fellowship of believers.
5. We affirm a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit.
6. We affirm the reality of freedom in Christ.
First Covenant's Beliefs
We, the First Covenant Church Congregation believe:
1. That being a child of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, is the most important thing in the world.
2. That the Bible, the authoritative Word of God, is the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct.
3. That there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
4. The necessity of the new birth for entrance into God's kingdom, and the importance of continuing growth in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ for sound spiritual health.
5. The ministry of the Holy Spirit who, with the Father and the Son, calls the Church into being, empowers its witness, guides its mission, and supplies the gifts needed by the church and its members to exalt Christ.
6. In the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
7. In the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved into the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
8. In the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
9. The Church is a fellowship of believers, confessing personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
10. In the reality of freedom in Christ that allows for differences of opinion within the guideline of the Bible.
1. We affirm the centrality of the Word of God.
2. We affirm the necessity of the new birth.
3. We affirm a commitment to the whole mission of the Church.
4. We affirm the Church as a fellowship of believers.
5. We affirm a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit.
6. We affirm the reality of freedom in Christ.
First Covenant's Beliefs
We, the First Covenant Church Congregation believe:
1. That being a child of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, is the most important thing in the world.
2. That the Bible, the authoritative Word of God, is the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct.
3. That there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
4. The necessity of the new birth for entrance into God's kingdom, and the importance of continuing growth in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ for sound spiritual health.
5. The ministry of the Holy Spirit who, with the Father and the Son, calls the Church into being, empowers its witness, guides its mission, and supplies the gifts needed by the church and its members to exalt Christ.
6. In the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
7. In the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved into the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
8. In the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
9. The Church is a fellowship of believers, confessing personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
10. In the reality of freedom in Christ that allows for differences of opinion within the guideline of the Bible.
Relational Covenant
As followers of Jesus Christ, we recognize the importance of determining how we will behave and how we might walk side by side when we don’t see eye to eye.
Therefore, from this day forward, we the people of First Covenant Church, pledge together to:
Adopted this day, July 9, 2013, by an all church board meeting.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we recognize the importance of determining how we will behave and how we might walk side by side when we don’t see eye to eye.
Therefore, from this day forward, we the people of First Covenant Church, pledge together to:
- Build each other up through encouragement and affirmation. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
- Willingly pray for God’s guidance and to discover God’s best for our church as a whole, not what may be best for an individual or a group of individuals in the church. (Philippians 2:3-6)
- Communicate openly, honestly, respectfully and directly; striving for church unity. (Isaiah 33:15-16)
- Respect and honor the pastor and other leaders. (1 Peter 2:17, Hebrews 13:17)
- Accept disagreement, conflict and evaluation as normal and natural. (Philippians 4:2-3)
- Be careful with our speech and not gossip. (Ephesians 4:29, 1 Corinthians 1:10)
- We hold to the Bible as the Living Word of God, and therefore claim the scriptures as our guidelines for how we will conduct ourselves and treat each other. Agree to disagree, recognizing that n o one has a corner on truth and that there is always more we can learn. (Romans 12:3)
- Choose to forgive one another, as Christ forgave us. (Ephesians 4:32)
Adopted this day, July 9, 2013, by an all church board meeting.