We understand that in matters of belief, there will always be differences. We are challenged in Ephesians 4: 2 & 3: “...with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love…to eagerly, deliberately and with every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in our community.”
Ancient church fathers have been quoted over the years with this helpful statement: “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In everything, charity/love.”
The idea bound up in these few words is that there exist essential teachings within Scripture that the church must be united on if the people are to experience the life of God in the family of God. The "Statements of our Faith" listed below are our essentials. Regardless of our theological positions on matters, our posture should be one of love. We seek to hold truth and love in balance.
If you would like to see the ECC theological positions on secondary issues, please email us and we will be happy to send you a copy.
“In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In everything, love.”
We believe:
The love of God. We believe in the love of God for all people and all creation.
The triune God. We believe that God, the creator of all things, exists in three distinct persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is fully God and fully human.
Holy Spirit. We believe the Spirit gives us transforming power to live a holy life.
Humanity. We believe each human being is created in the image of God and, as such, has inherent value and dignity.
Sin. We believe that because of our sin, we are separated from God and cannot save ourselves.
Salvation. We believe that salvation is offered to all as a gift of the grace of God and received through faith in Jesus Christ.
Scripture. We believe all Scripture is inspired by God and, as such, authoritative and trustworthy for faith and practice.
The sovereignty of God. We believe that God rules over creation, redemption and life eternal.
The Church. We believe in the unity of all believers, the Church, the body of Christ.