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ECC DISTINCTIVES

1.1 ECC History

ECC was birthed out of Marineview Chapel, Vancouver, BC in 1980. According to its name, we are founded on the belief that God is with us, hence Emmanuel. Called to be disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are Christian, and in the unity of the power of the Holy Spirit, we are a Community. ECC has roots in the charismatic renewal movement of the 1980’s, and in the Brethren Assemblies movement. ECC has always been located in Richmond, BC. Currently, it is located at 10351 No. 1 Rd, having been given the gracious gift of a building and property by Bethany Christian Assembly.

1. 2. ECC Statement of Faith

ECC's doctrinal statement sets out the beliefs on which ECC was founded, as stated in our founding Society Act, 1981. We believe:

• • All Scripture is inspired by God and, in its entirety, the Bible is the final authority for faith and practice.

• • God exists in three distinct persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and these three possess the same nature, attributes, and glory.

• • Jesus Christ, God's Son, is fully God and fully man. We affirm his virgin birth, his sinless humanity, his divine miracles, his death upon the cross as a perfect sacrifice for our sins, his bodily resurrection, his appearance to many, his ascension, his current work with the Father in heaven, and his personal return.

• • We are created in the image of God. Our sin has separated us from God and we cannot save ourselves, therefore we are liable to eternal separation from God. Salvation is the gift of God's love offered to all and received through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour. As believers, we are forgiven, made new, and given eternal life.

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• • We need to be ready for the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church at any time. The eternal blessing of Heaven is reserved for those who have trusted in the Lord for salvation.

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• • God the Holy Spirit unites every believer to Christ. The Holy Spirit lives in us to glorify Jesus and to empower us to live a holy life. Through the Holy Spirit, God gifts his church to carry out his purposes in the home, the church and the world.

• • The Church is composed of all true believers. Jesus Christ is the only Head of His Church.

• • The local church is under the authority of the Lord. In obedience to his Word, we practice believer's baptism and the Lord’s Supper and affirm the priesthood of all believers. Elders are called by Christ to shepherd God's people.

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• • Believers live under Christ's call in the Great Commission to share our faith through word, acts of mercy, and lifestyle.

3. 3. ECC Mission

The mission of ECC, disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, is to grow in an intimate relationship with God our Father and with one another, to grow in wholeness according to the likeness of Christ, to be empowered through God’s indwelling Holy Spirit, and to represent Christ, His Son, to the world as Lord and Saviour.

4. 4. ECC Vision

Our vision is to fulfill our mission by building the church of Jesus Christ through:

• Knowing and Celebrating the Place of Each Person in the Christian Community.

1. We are a church where men and women, young and old, are encouraged to express their diverse gifting and abilities within the community for the building up of the church as the body of Christ.

• Hearing and Responding to God’s Word.

2. We encourage the hearing, discerning and the living out of God’s word through personal study, the preaching and teaching of Scripture, and the sharing of the work of the Holy Spirit in each other’s lives.

• Public and Private Worship.

1. The whole life of the believer is an act of worship as the Spirit of the living God dwells in us.

2. We gather together as the church community, for public worship, and for mutual love and encouragement in faith and action. We welcome diverse expressions of worship: musical styles, dance, poetry, visual art, drama, etc.

• Community

1. According to the unity, power, and presence of one Holy Spirit, we are called to care and fellowship within the church itself and outwards towards our neighbors and the world.

• Outreach and Evangelism

1. By our words and actions, we accept the call of Jesus to go into all the world – near and far, to make disciples for Jesus, and to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Facilities

1. We desire to be good stewards, by maintaining and developing to God’s glory and for the continuing use of Christ’s Kingdom on earth, the gift of a church building and property at 10351 No. 1 Rd. in Richmond, BC. We are committed to ensure that it is used in perpetuity for the purposes to which it was dedicated.

5. 5. ECC Essentials

The following is a list of essentials, to which ECC holds under the Lordship of Christ, as it was founded, has developed, and will continue to develop. It is acknowledged that these concepts may be expressed in diverse forms. Guidelines for these Essentials are in the Ministry Guidelines.

• The Word and the Spirit

We believe that God works through His Word and His Spirit. As the Holy Spirit was essential in the inspiration of the Word, so too the Holy Spirit is essential in helping believers, individually and corporately, to understand and apply the Word. It is this work of the Spirit which enables the Word to bring freedom rather than bondage in legalism. Therefore, as a community we seek to develop an intimate knowledge of both the Word and the Spirit. Prayer is essential if the Word and the Spirit are to be united as God intended; so we desire to be a place of prayer.

• Renewal

In renewal, God is working to renew or transform His people into the image of His Son. Renewal is intended to touch every aspect of the life of the community as God frees His children to experience the life He has given them in His Son by the Holy Spirit.

Individually, God desires to transform the inner person so that thoughts, attitudes, words, actions are increasingly flowing from the joyous release of the life of the Spirit within. Corporately, this release of the Spirit within individuals will result in the full expression of all spiritual gifts in love in the community's worship and service.

In this process of individual and corporate renewal, we hunger for reality in our lives with God and desire to be open to His work in whatever forms He directs. We acknowledge all that was good and right in our diverse backgrounds but desire not to be controlled by that heritage. We desire to be under the control of the living God who knows best the forms that we are to follow at any particular time to express His work in our midst.

• Worship and Mission

We desire to cultivate both worship and mission as we respond to God's working in our lives.

Worship is central to our community life, especially our Sunday morning service. God desires us to worship in Spirit and in truth; therefore, true worship is first inward then outward as hearts overflow through the ministry of the Spirit in praise and adoration to God. We believe that true worship flows from the whole person – body, soul, and spirit. Our worship ought to flow through the free expression of the Spirit and His gifts in our lives; thus we encourage forms and styles of worship, which cultivate our awareness of His presence in our midst. Our worship ought also to allow for a balance of expression, which engages our spirit, mind, emotions, and body.

Mission is an outcome of a living relationship with God. God by His very nature reveals Himself; all believers who truly worship in spirit and truth reveal God. One’s ministry will be affected by the gifts God gives and the sphere in which God calls one to live and work. As a community we are committed therefore to the discipling of all nations in fulfillment of the Great Commission. We desire to be witnesses in our individual lives, to be a light as a community of believers within Richmond, and to support the work of missions worldwide.

We strive for unity in Christ with other believers in other churches both in Richmond and beyond to promote a united witness. We maintain our relationship with Daybreak Society (Anvil Camps), sister churches, and Vision Ministries Canada.

• Participatory Priesthood of all Believers

All believers together form the church. All possess the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit directs the ministry of the church as He calls and gifts all its members. Ministry is not the prerogative of a select few professional workers but the privilege and responsibility of every believer.

a) The Word describes our relationship in many different images: e.g. church, family, body, building/temple, and community. These pictures show the richness and diversity of our relationships together while emphasizing our interdependence for spiritual growth, worship, and ministry. In light of this, we affirm the need to meet together on a regular basis.

2. To the extent that all within the community exercise their gifts in love, for worship, for the mutual spiritual growth, and for making disciples, this is the extent to which we will be a Christian community in which God will presence Himself.

• Government Through a Plurality of Elders Under the Lordship of Christ

God has called ECC to be governed by elders with equal authority who lead under the lordship of Christ.

The primary role of elders is to exercise spiritual oversight within the community through prayer and the ministry of the word as they are involved in such ministries as establishing spiritual foundations, teaching, training, vision, appointing leaders (such as elders, deacons, worship leaders, cell group leaders, and staff), discipline, and restoration within the community.

The leadership style to be followed by the elders is that of Christ, namely servant leadership. It is not the responsibility of the leadership to do all the work of the church but rather to equip and enable the body to grow and to do the work for which they have been gifted and called. Decision-making ultimately rests with the elders but is to be done in close consultation with the community they serve.

The governmental structure is further delineated in  “The Role of the Elders."

• Church Ordinances of Communion and Baptism

We believe that God has given two ordinances to the church, baptism and communion.

In believer's baptism, an individual gives testimony of having personally accepted Christ by faith and of being united with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.

In communion, also commonly referred to as the Lord’s Supper, the community remembers the redemptive work of Christ and testifies to the nurture and enjoyment of faith in Christ. ECC celebrates communion weekly as a central part of Sunday worship as well as at other times when the community may meet in whole or in part.

6. The Gifts of the Spirit

At ECC we believe that all Christians are given the Holy Spirit at the moment of conversion. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a command of God and is a continuous action, i.e. “Keep on being filled.” (Ephesians 5)  This may be experienced as an initial immersion in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-5, 4:31-35) and as on ongoing work of sanctification by the Holy Spirit's power that enables us to live an empowered Christian life. This God-given life is one that focuses on the Giver, rather than the gift. As we walk with God, His Spirit becomes evident in us.

The authentic sign of the Holy Spirit's presence is ‘fruit’ (Galatians 5), character (Matthew 5), submission (Ephesians 5:1821), and spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-11). Consequently, we believe that all the gifts are to be encouraged when they are used in an orderly and scriptural way. They are not to be stifled or denied. Scripture tells us that spiritual gifts should be tested by the leadership and overseen by the elders, whose responsibility is a renewed and revived church, alive with the life of Christ, the word of Christ, the Spirit of Christ and the ministry of Christ, that we may all continually worship and glorify Christ, the Son of God.

• Relationships in the Home

• As a Christian community living together and in the world, we believe, according to our Statement of Faith that we are made in the image of God, and are called to reflect God’s image in all relationships. We all have sinned, and are in need of God’s grace and forgiveness. Without casting any judgment on one another for our failures, we will celebrate family, faithful heterosexual marriage, and celibate singleness.

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