Full Statement of beliefs & values
OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH:
At Emmanuel Fellowship, we believe that people are created by God for Fellowship. We are called into a covenant relationship with God and with one another. We desire to cultivate an inviting, relaxed, family atmosphere where no one goes unnoticed, and you are set free to flourish in your God-given giftings.
We believe that God has gifted every individual to minister to the world around them, whatever their occupation. Our call is to help nurture those individuals into the ministry that God has prepared for them in advance (Eph 2:10).
ABOUT THE BIBLE:
We believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are fully inspired revelation of God to man. They are inerrant, infallible in the original manuscript, and the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. (2 Tim. 3:15-16; 2 Pet. 1:19-21)
ABOUT THE TRINITY:
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; coeternal, coequal, distinguishable but indivisible, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption. (Gen. 1:26-27; Gen. 3:22; Deut. 6:4; Psalm 90:2; Is. 48:16; John 1:1-2; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 13-14; 1 Pet. 1:2)
OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH:
At Emmanuel Fellowship, we believe that people are created by God for Fellowship. We are called into a covenant relationship with God and with one another. We desire to cultivate an inviting, relaxed, family atmosphere where no one goes unnoticed, and you are set free to flourish in your God-given giftings.
We believe that God has gifted every individual to minister to the world around them, whatever their occupation. Our call is to help nurture those individuals into the ministry that God has prepared for them in advance (Eph 2:10).
ABOUT THE BIBLE:
We believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are fully inspired revelation of God to man. They are inerrant, infallible in the original manuscript, and the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. (2 Tim. 3:15-16; 2 Pet. 1:19-21)
ABOUT THE TRINITY:
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; coeternal, coequal, distinguishable but indivisible, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption. (Gen. 1:26-27; Gen. 3:22; Deut. 6:4; Psalm 90:2; Is. 48:16; John 1:1-2; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 13-14; 1 Pet. 1:2)
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ABOUT GOD THE FATHER:
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (1 Tim. 1:17; Rom. 8:14; Matt. 6:11; 1 John 3:1-2; 1 John 4:14-15)
ABOUT JESUS CHRIST:
We believe Jesus Christ is true God and true man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died upon the cross, the just for the unjust, as a substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe in Him as Lord are justified on the ground of His shed blood. He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures. He is now at the right hand of the Father on high as our great High Priest. He will come again to establish His kingdom of righteousness and peace and bring judgment to the earth. (Luke 1:36-38; Matt. 26:64; Acts 2:23-24; Rom. 5:9; Heb. 2:9; Heb. 8:1; Phil. 2:6-11; 1 Pet. 3:18)
ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT:
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; 2 Cor. 3:6; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 1:13-14)
We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who guides, empowers, directs and gifts believers for holy service and into all truth; and that it is a commandment to experience the privilege of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (John 16:13; 1 John 2:20,27; Eph. 5:18)
ABOUT HUMAN BEINGS:
We believe man was originally created in the image and likeness of God. He fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. All men are born with a nature that has a propensity to sin which separates them from the life of God, and can be reunited with the Father only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The portion of the impenitent and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment; and that of the believer in everlasting joy and bliss in the presence of God. (Gen. 1:27; 1 Cor. 15:20-23; Rom. 3:23; Rev. 21:1-4; Rev. 21:8)
ABOUT SALVATION:
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and that all who repent and believe in Him are justified by faith and born again by the Holy Spirit, thereby becoming children of God. This salvation is received by grace through faith in the shed blood of Christ and by this act we are made members of the body of Christ, which is the true church. (John 1:12; Rom. 3:24-25; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Eph. 1:7; Eph. 2:8-9)
ABOUT THE CHURCH:
We believe that the church consists of all those who have repented and believed in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. As part of His body the church is called into a covenant relationship with Himself and one another. As part of the family of God the church is called to nurture and love one another, as we are loved and nurtured by Christ. As the temple of God the church is called to be a holy habitation or dwelling of God. As citizens of His kingdom the church is called to be in subjection to Him and, by cooperating together, to be ambassadors for Christ in the world. Finally, as the bride of Christ, the church looks forward to spending eternity with God in heaven. (Eph. 1:22-23; 1 Tim. 5:1-2; Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Pet. 2:5; Col. 1:13; Rev. 1:9; 2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 19:6-9; Rev. 21:2)
ABOUT ORDINANCES:
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the triune God, an essential step of obedience. We believe that Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matt. 28:18-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)
ABOUT LIBERTY:
We believe that every human being has direct communion with God and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore, Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other. (1 Cor. 4:3-4; Acts. 4:18-19; Rom. 13:1-7; 2 Cor. 5:10)
ABOUT HEALING:
We believe that provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body. Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the church in the present age. (Is. 53:3-5; Matt. 8:16-17; James 5:13-16)
ABOUT CHRISTIAN CONDUCT:
We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well being of his fellowmen; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. (Matt. 22:37, John 14:21, Rom. 13:1-4, Gal. 2:20, Eph. 5:1, Phil. 4:8, 1 Pet. 2:17)
ABOUT CHRIST’S RETURN:
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will return visibly and gloriously to this earth to be seen of all men as the righteous judge, to receive His saints to Himself, and to establish His kingdom. Those whose faith is in Christ will be saved eternally and will enter into the joy of their Lord, sharing with Him His inheritance in heaven. The unbelieving will be condemned by Him to hell, where eternally they will be punished for their sins under the righteous judgment of God. (Dan. 12:2; John 5:28-29; Acts 1:10-11; 1 Cor. 15:20-23; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 20:1)
ABOUT THE SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE
We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is inestimable worth in all its dimension, including pre-born babies, the physical or mentally challenged, and every other stage of condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Gen. 1:26; Ps. 139:13-16; Jer. 1:5)
ABOUT MARRIAGE
We believe that because God has ordained marriage and defined it as the covenant relationship between a biological man and a biological woman, Emmanuel Fellowship will only recognize marriages between a biological man and a biological woman. Further, the pastors and staff of Emmanuel Fellowship shall only participate in weddings and solemnize marriages between one man and one woman. Finally, the facilities and property of Emmanuel Fellowship shall only host weddings between one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:24; Mark 10:6-9)
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our values
Worship:
Our goal is to be a people who are passionate for worship. We want to be people who understand that worship includes serving and giving, and the attitudes in which we conduct our daily lives. Then, when we come together corporately, our words are simply a reflection of what we have been living all week long.
I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1,2.
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. Psalm 95:6.
Prayer:
Our goal is to become a people of prayer. We want to develop an understanding of corporate prayer and individual prayer, not as a program, but as an integral part of our lives. We want to be a people who will stand in the gap for a needy world.
They devoted themselves to the apostles* teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42.
And as He taught them, He said, *Is it not written: "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?'" Mark 11:17.
Word:
Our goal is to see the application of Scripture worked out in our daily lives. We want the Word of God to nurture, prepare and equip people in the things of God, and we want to know Him more fully through the study of the Bible.
Family:
Our goal is to see that every member of the family is walking and growing in the admonition of Christ. From the start of life to final breath, we see family as a vital part of the church body; growing and sowing into the kingdom of God.
Discipleship:
Our goal is to see the application of Scripture worked out in our daily lives, that the Word of God may nurture, prepare and equip people in the things of God, and that through the study of the Bible we might know Him more fully.
How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? Romans 10:14.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. Matthew 28:19,20.
Missions:
Our goal is to become a *mission-going* church, where people develop a passion for giving, a passion for praying, and a passion for going. Our desire is that everyone have a cross-cultural ministry experience in order to develop a heart to see the gospel brought to the nations.
Ask of Me and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. Psalm 2:8.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14.
Bridging the Generations:
We See a connection of the generations, from children to the elderly. We believe that the gap from one generation to the next can be filled by laying down preference and style for the sake of the kingdom. We must work diligently to see that the moms and pops connect, help build and nurture the younger generation through example and instruction, without prejudice or frustration. Understanding that one day they must raise up the next generation behind them.