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Statement of Faith

STATEMENT OF FAITH We affirm the following statements of faith from Converge Worldwide (formerly the Baptist General Conference) and Converge North Central (formerly the Minnesota-Iowa Baptist Conference):

1. THE WORD OF GOD – We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct [e.g., 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21].

2. THE TRINITY – We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption [e.g., Matthew 28:19; John 1:14; 16:5-13].

3. 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 all people, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ [e.g., John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:1-3].

4. JESUS CHRIST – We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth [e.g., John 17:5; Ephesians 1:2-3; Philippians 2:5- 11; Colossians 1:15-19; Hebrews 7:22-25].

5. THE HOLY SPIRIT – We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide [e.g. John 14:26; Ephesians 1:13-14; 2:22].

6. REGENERATION – We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit [e.g., John 1:12-13; 3:3; Acts 2:38; Titus 3:5].

7. THE CHURCH – We believe in the universal church; a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world [e.g., Matthew 16:16-18; Ephesians 2:19-22].

8. CHRISTIAN CONDUCT – We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the wellbeing of others; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ [e.g., Ephesians 2:10; 2 Peter 1:3-7].

9. THE 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 into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ [e.g., Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 22:14-20].

10. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY – We believe that every human being has direct relations 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 [e.g., 1 Peter 2:13-15; James 4:12; Romans 14:4].

11. THE LAST THINGS – We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His Kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity [blessedness] of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked [e.g., Matthew 25:31-46; Acts 1:6-11; Revelation 20:11-15].

We affirm the following Statement on Marriage: We believe that marriage has been created by God to join one man and one woman in a lifelong, exclusive relationship of mutual care, support, and intimacy and is the only legitimate context for sexual activity [e.g., Genesis 2:18-25; Matthew 19:5-6; 1 Corinthians 7:1-5; Ephesians 5:22-33; Hebrews 13:4].