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Our Covenant: Is our promise or commitment to one another...
“We promise to watch over, encourage, correct, aid, and care for one another in times of distress.
“We covenant to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this local church in its maturity and prosperity; to support its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrine; and support it’s mission and ministries.
“We covenant to seek to maintain personal and family devotions, and to seek to teach our children the truths of God’s Word; to live wisely and carefully, seeking to please Christ and proclaim the gospel in all we do.” (Art.VIII)
Our affiliation: Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA): We are Evangelical The word comes from the Greek term for a message. An evangelical is a person who believes and preaches the “message”.
The message is the Gospel … all men are separated from a relationship with God because of sin; but God has provided a way of reconciling man to Himself through His Son Jesus Christ. Although we are dead in our sins, he who believes in the saving work of Jesus Christ (His death, burial, & resurrection), and confesses Him as Savior & Lord, now has a restored relationship with God promising eternal life and peace. ~That is the message of the evangelical~
We are Free from denominational ties and are a self-governed (autonomous) body. This means we are free to make decisions, elect our leaders, and establish missions & ministry that best influences our church, community, and the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are associated (or joined to) other churches with similar doctrine and missions/ministry commitments- this makes up the EFCA.
We are a Church, meaning an assembly of believers in Jesus Chris who purpose to gather regularly, encouraging one another to love and good works. We desire as a church to grow spiritually and numerically by bringing others into a relationship with God, through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Our Doctrine: We Believe... -The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for Christian faith and life.
-In one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
-That Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He is now our High Priest and Advocate.
-That the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and, during this age, to convict men, regenerate the believing sinner, and indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for godly living and service.
-That man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is, therefore, lost, and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.
-That the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and, thus become children of God.
-That water baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church during the present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of salvation.
-That the true Church is composed of all such persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the Body of Christ of which He is the Head. That only those who are, thus, members of the true Church shall be eligible for membership in the local church.
-That Jesus Christ is the Lord and Head of the Church and that every local church has the right, under Christ, to decide and govern its own affairs.
-In the personal premillennial and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that this "Blessed Hope" has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer.
-In the bodily resurrection of the dead; of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord; of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment.
**The doctrinal position of The Evangelical Free Church of America is summarized in our Statement of Faith.
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