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Our Convictions : Distinctives, Landmarks,
& our Doctrinal
Statement
OUR
DISTINCTIVES
 OUR
VIEW OF GOD -- In all of our
teaching we attempt to exalt God and
His grace. We are convinced that the
fundamental needs of the human heart
are only satisfied through a
relationship with God. God, in His
gracious sovereignty, draws men and
women to Himself through His Son in
order to give them His life.
OUR
VIEW OF THE SCRIPTURES -- God has
spoken through His Word. His Word is
creative and life giving. In our
teaching we seek to open the Scriptures
in a visual way in order that we might
see God, one another and ourselves more
fully.
OUR
VIEW OF THE CHURCH -- We love the
Church. Local congregations of God's
people are the context in which God
speaks and the means by which He
accomplishes His purposes. Healing and
growth occur in our relationships with
one another.
OUR
VIEW OF MINISTRY -- Ministry takes
place through an encounter with the
living Christ as revealed in His Word
within the context of the Body of
Christ, the Church. Ministry is not
characterized by formulas and methods
but rather through a spirit of
submission to the Scriptures and to one
another.
OUR
VIEW OF MONEY -- We desire to
provide teaching and materials
regardless of whether churches and
mission agencies can afford them or
not. We seek to be responsible
financial stewards but also seek to
rely on God's provision. We are deeply
committed to financial integrity. We
are members of the Evangelical Council
for Financial Accountability and an
accounting firm audits our books
regularly.
OUR
VIEW OF OURSELVES -- We teach
servanthood and attempt to live out our
ministry in a spirit of servanthood.
"For we do not preach ourselves but
Christ Jesus as Lord and ourselves as
your servants for Jesus' sake." (2
Corinthians 4:5)
10
LANDMARKS
 Core
Values for Teachers and Preachers of
God's Word
How
can we become more compelling teachers
of God's Word? By embracing God's
priorities for teachers of the Word. We
call these priorities landmarks.
Landmarks are signs that provide clear
direction. They help us keep our
bearings and move us down the right
path. We have identified ten landmarks
that will direct us down the path to
become more compelling teachers and
preachers of God's Word.
1.
Teach the Word. The teacher of
God's Word labors to faithfully teach
the Bible and trusts God's Spirit to
use it rather than the methods of men
so that the learner is cleansed and
transformed by its creative,
life-giving power.
2.
Exalt God. The teacher of God's
Word magnifies God's glorious nature
and ways so that the learner sees Him
more fully and celebrates His
incomparable worthiness and
grace.
3.
Cultivate Affection. The teacher of
God's Word communicates both knowledge
about God and the heart of God so that
the learner experiences Him more deeply
and loves Him more
passionately.
4.
Proclaim Christ. The teacher of
God's Word proclaims Christ and His
gospel as the focus and fulfillment of
God's plan so that the learner knows
Christ more fully and proclaims Him
more faithfully.
5.
Celebrate Grace. The teacher of
God's Word champions God's grace as the
motive and means for true holiness so
that the learner walks by means of the
Spirit and lives in freedom with deep
gratitude and hope.
6.
Stimulate Growth. The teacher of
God's Word connects truth to life,
addressing every sphere of life so that
the learner is conformed to the
likeness of Christ with ever increasing
glory by the power of the Holy
Spirit.
7.
Serve the Church. The teacher of
God's Word leads the church with the
heart of a shepherd so that the learner
sees humility and servant leadership
modeled as well as taught.
8.
Love the Learner. The teacher of
God's Word engages the learner with
profound respect and honest
vulnerability so that the learner is
drawn deeply into the learning process
and receives encouragement and
hope.
9.
Pursue God's Purposes. The teacher
of God's Word equips and encourages the
learner to pursue both the Great
Commandment and the Great Commission so
that the learner experiences great joy
in serving God's purpose to fill the
earth with the knowledge of His glory.
10.
Trust God for Ministry. The teacher
of God's Word remembers that fruitful
ministry is the result of God's
sovereign goodness so that both learner
and teacher live in prayerful
dependence and glorify God for His
gracious works.
DOCTRINAL
STATEMENT AND
PURPOSE
 1.
We believe that the Bible is the
inerrant, inspired, infallible, and
only authoritative Word of God. We
believe that God cleanses His people
(John 15: 3), heals them (Ps.107: 20),
creates new life in them (Isa.
55:10,11), and brings them
encouragement and hope through the
ministry of His Word. That is why
ours is a ministry of preaching and
teaching the Scriptures.
2.
We believe that there is one God,
eternally existent in three Persons:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe
that all we are and do flows out of our
vision of God. We believe that God is
sovereign in salvation (Eph. 1: 3-6),
in ministry (Job 42:1; 2 Cor. 3:4-6)
and over the lives of His people (Gen.
50: 18-21). That is why we seek
to bring to His people an exalted view
of God.
3.
We believe in the virgin birth and
the death of our Lord Jesus Christ-that
He is fully God and fully man-in His
sinless life, in His miracles, in His
vicarious and atoning death on the
cross, in His bodily resurrection, in
His ascension to the right hand of the
Father, and in His personal return in
power and glory. We believe that the
resources of Christ are all of our hope
in life, in relationships and in
ministry. (Col. 1:27; John 15:5).
That is the reason for our
Christ-centered
teaching.
4.
We believe in the totally lost
condition of man by nature and his need
of the new birth by the regenerating
power of the Holy Spirit. We believe
that salvation is the result of God's
sovereign grace and not of man's free
will (John 1:10-11; John 6:44; Eph.
1:3-6). We also believe that in all of
life and ministry we are dependent on
His working in and through us.
That is why we are committed to
prayer as the power in
ministry.
5.
We believe in justification by
faith apart from the works of the law
(Rom.3: 21-23), and that sanctification
is also a work of God's grace as we
walk in obedience before Him (Rom.
6:11-23; 8:12-14). That is why
ours is a grace-oriented
message.
6.
We believe in the present ministry
of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling
presence (John 14:15-17) the Christian
is enabled to live a godly life and
serve the Lord. We believe it is
through the gifts of the Holy Spirit
that God's people serve and build up
one another (1 Cor.12-14; Rom. 12:1-8).
That is why the work of the
Spirit is a focus of our
teaching.
7.
We believe in the resurrection of
the saved and the lost (1 Cor.
15:12-28; Rev.20: 11-15)---the saved
unto eternal life and the lost to
eternal judgment. That is why we
call people to repentance in our
teaching.
8.
We believe in the spiritual unity
of all believers in our Lord Jesus
Christ (John 17:20-23) and in the
validity of local bodies of believers
called churches (as evidenced in the
book of Acts and the letters to the
churches). God has ordained that it is
in churches where believers are to
worship and fellowship and through
which they may serve the Lord.
That is why our ministry is
committed to building up local
churches, training pastors, encouraging
church leaders, and advancing the work
of churches through
missions.
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