BELIEFS We believe in God, the Almighty, Creator, and Sustainer of all that is. We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, who, through His life, death, and resurrection, gives salvation to all who believe in Him and follow Him as Lord. We believe in the Holy Spirit, God's presence with, and in, us who believe. OUR AFFIRMATIONS We are an evangelical church.  We affirm as central to our life and thought a number of evangelical emphases.  These are our Central Covenant Affirmations (excerpted and very abbreviated from ECC national headquarters website page "What We Believe"): 1.      The centrality of the word of God. The Holy Scripture, the Old and New Testament, is the Word of God and only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct (II Timothy 3:16). 2.      The necessity of the new birth. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above" (John 3:3). Such a high doctrine of conversion does not mean that all believers have dramatic conversion experiences.  While no one remembers the moment of physical birth, one's present life is evidence of its occurrence.  So a person may be truly converted even though he or she has no memory of the moment of new birth.  The vitality of life is the proof of birth, not its memory or recollection. The Covenant Church shares God's concern for the salvation of all people but accepts God's Word that only those converted to Christ shall be saved. 3.      A commitment to the whole mission of the church. Established by the gospel and grace of Jesus Christ, the Church exists by doing mission-the great commission (Matthew 28:19 20)[for inclusive numbers use an en dash-and the great commandment (Matthew 22:37 40).  As Christ's representative in the world, the Church is to be an agent of grace, entrusted with the message of reconciliation, hope, justice, and peace. 4.      The Church as a fellowship of believers. Luther saw the ideal church as a gathering of those who confess faith in Jesus Christ, commit themselves to each other, and submit to no authority other than Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Church.  The Covenant Church seeks to realize the value of this ideal.  We recognize our need for ethnic diversity, for fellowship and mutual ministry across socioeconomic boundaries, and for the gifts and leadership of women and men. 5.      A conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit. The covenant Church, rooted in historic Christianity, affirms one God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  According to the Gospel of John, the earthly Jesus promised that the same Spirit of God that "remained on him" (John 1:32) would one day live in his disciples as a result of his crucifixion and resurrection.  The Spirit "abides with you" he said "and will be in you" (John 14:17).  It was this Holy Spirit that came to abide in Paul, filling him with the presence of God and directing him, just as it had Jesus.  It is the Holy Spirit in us that enables us to continue Christ's mission in the world (Acts 1:8). 6.      The reality of freedom in Christ. Jesus sets us free, according to Paul, from the power of sin to condemn, control, and destroy.  God's people are not without sin but find in Jesus' death and resurrection the glorious liberty of the children of God.  This freedom is "in Christ."  For Paul, such freedom means believers are set free from the binding restrictions of culture and creed to live in a new reality:  "There is no longer Jew nor Greek, there is no longer slave nor free, there is no longer male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."       (Galatians 3:28). OUR PURPOSE Our local congregation, believing it is called into existence by the will of God, is committed to the following fourfold purpose: 1.      Exalt God-To exalt God in worship as mankind's true hope and          Lord. 2.      Evangelize the Lost-To evangelize those who have not          trusted Christ as Savior and entered into His new life. 3.      Edify Our Brothers-To edify in Christlike living those whom          God has brought into His family, the Church. 4.      Equip Believers-To equip believers for ministry according to          the spiritual gifts each has been given. OUR GOAL To know God through His Word and to make Him known to our world through our lives.