We are blessed to be part of a brotherhood that holds God’s Word in the highest regard and seeks to apply it daily in our individual lives and as a church. Our guiding principles include such biblical themes as “We believe the Bible is true, timeless, and inspired by God,” and “We, as a church, contend for the teachings of Jesus Christ and his Word.” Similarly, “We seek to be like Jesus in thought, action, and character, and to live the entire counsel of his Word.”2 The third pillar of our church mission calls us to preserve sound doctrine by “contending for the faith.” We are instructed to teach sound doctrine, rightly dividing the word of truth, so that the church remains the pillar and ground of truth.3 The Statement of Faith is a primary way by which we communicate and teach what we believe.

In 2020, the Elder Body began a process to review and update this important statement of our church’s beliefs. This was prompted by input and encouragement received from the brotherhood during the development of our purpose, vision, and guiding principles. We approach this with humility, recognizing that past and present efforts are those of humans. In meekness we recognize the need to refine and update the Statement of Faith with the same humble spirit in which our church leaders developed and updated this document through its various forms from the 1800s to the present. In the same spirit, we continue to hold in high regard the wisdom and importance of such weighty declarations of belief.

Given the importance of this document, a deliberate, biblically based approach has been taken that has involved the entire Elder Body, our ministers, and other brothers and sisters who have offered insights and suggestions. After many forum and conference discussions, drafting, editing, and review, we hope to finalize the updated version at the August 2024 elder conference.

The motivation and vision for such an effort is rooted in a desire to rightly divide the Word of truth and to preach and teach with clarity and doctrinal integrity.4 We are guided by the biblical principle of teaching the whole counsel of God, emphasizing the weightier matters and not neglecting any aspect of God’s Word.5 This has prompted thinking about each segment of the current document to clearly state foundational (core) doctrines and beliefs as well as biblical principles that guide application. It is our hope that the Statement of Faith will be used not only as a helpful guide for new believers, but also as part of our daily lives, as we have experienced with our purpose, vision, and guiding principles.

This comprehensive review has been a blessing as we considered the depth and impact of our beliefs. It has further increased our appreciation for the prior work and given us the opportunity to affirm those things which we hold to be true. The essence of the current Statement of Faith has been retained with some helpful additions and reordering. For example, where it became clear that additional emphasis would be beneficial, phrases were reworded and added to address important biblical themes—such as our need for the grace of God—more directly and completely. Some of the statements are being grouped in a fashion that flows in a more foundational and teachable order.

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We recognize that language is always changing, so we have adjusted some of the wording to make it clearer. For instance, we now use “Holy Spirit” instead of “Holy Ghost” because it is more common today and less likely to be misunderstood. Similarly, we use “mankind” in place of “man” to clarify the particular use of the word to mean all people, and we use “sin” instead of “transgression” to make the language more understandable for today’s readers.

We noted the wide range of potential readers, including those who may be new to our church, or even the gospel. This recognition drove a few edits to make the language warmer and more inviting. For example, we added “It is God’s desire that all will be saved,”6 to the biblical truth that “Both the saved and the lost will be resurrected: the saved unto eternal life and the lost unto damnation.”

In some cases, we have reordered sentences to emphasize the main truth while not losing an important related aspect of it. In the teaching about the assurance of salvation and the possibility of forfeiting it due to our free will, we now start with our belief that God’s gift of eternal life and assurance of salvation is a present possession of every true believer. We follow this with the accompanying truth that it can be forsaken and consequently forfeited.

We spent a lot of time thinking through which statements might be thought of as core doctrines—those essential elements of our faith that every believer affirms—and which are biblical teachings and principles. Some of these teachings may not be as explicit as others but are clearly biblical and to be applied diligently in every time and generation. We see the benefit of separating them for clarity and appropriate emphasis, and we also see the wisdom of keeping them together as we seek to follow the whole counsel of God. After much input and consideration, we have reached a settled and peaceful agreement to segment the various statements into the following categories within the overall Statement of Faith: 1) What We Believe, 2) How We Live, and 3) Role of the Church. Many of the statements will be linked to key elements of our purpose, vision, mission, guiding principles, and practices to help enrich our understanding and application of these important aspects of our walk of faith and as a church body.

The input and counsel received from across the brotherhood has been an invaluable and important part of this process. We are grateful for the many prayers that have been offered for the Holy Spirit’s direction throughout this process and trust that he will continue to guide us as a church as we reflect his love, grace, and truth in our lives.

1 1 Tim. 4:1
2 Guiding Principles B, G, & H
3 1 Tim. 3:15, 2 Tim. 2:15
4 2 Tim. 2:25
5 Acts 20:27
6 1 Tim. 2:4