Welcome  >  What We Believe

In essentials—agreement.
In non-essentials—freedom.
And in all—love.

We Are Christian

• With all Christians, we believe in a God of love who has created all things and is infinitely perfect and exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

• We believe that as humans, we are in need of salvation and forgiveness of our sins. God’s love and mercy are made emphatic and are applied to us by Christ’s personal ministry, sacrificial death and life-giving resurrection. Christ is our source of help and hope and the one at the center of our life together.

• We believe that the Holy Spirit persuades us to repent of our sins and confess Jesus as Lord. He lives in us teaches us, gifts us, and enables us to live godly lives.

• We believe that the Church is the living Body of Christ on earth; Christ is its head and source of life.

• We believe that Jesus Christ will return to earth to raise the dead, judge the world, and establish His glorious Kingdom. This is the hope of the Church and its encouragement for ministry.

We Are Covenant

We are affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church an extended family of churches with over 125,000 members and 730 congregations in the US and Canada. In addition there are related Covenant churches in Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Europe, and throughout Latin America.

Our roots are firmly set in historical Christianity as it emerged in the Protestant Reformation, in the biblical instruction of the Lutheran Church of Sweden, and in the great spiritual awakenings of the nineteenth century.

We emphasize basic Christian beliefs and just as importantly the living out of these beliefs.

As an Evangelical Covenant Church we affirm these core beliefs:

• We believe in the necessity of a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This new life comes to us through the experience of conversion.

• We believe that the Bible is God’s authoritative Word and message to all people and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine and conduct. We also believe that the Word of God is “spirit and life” and requires of us a spiritual and living response.

• We believe in a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit, who, with the Father and Son, calls the church into being, empowers its ministry, guides its mission, and supplies the resources needed by the Church community to follow Jesus.

• We believe in the Church as the community of believers, characterized by mutual participation in and sharing new life in Christ. Membership in the Grace family is by confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is open to all who believe. Uniformity in theological/creedal details is not expected. What is required is that one be “born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

• We believe in the reality of freedom in Christ. We recognize that differences exist concerning theological issues, worship styles and sacramental practices. But we believe that these differences are overcome through sharing a common life in Jesus. We believe that each person is unique and so is their experience in Christ. In Jesus Christ we have freedom, constrained by His Lordship and His Holy Word.