Paradise Coast Church

That’s all. That is enough.

When new members join a Covenant church, they are asked two questions about belief: “Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior and promise to follow him as Lord?” and “Do you accept the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, as the word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct?” They are then asked if they intend to live as faithful followers of Christ and members of the church and denomination.

But on another level, of course, the answer is a good deal more complex. While the Covenant Church does not require adherence to any written creed, we take our theology very seriously, and our history as well. We are a Reformation church, a part of the Church universal, and an evangelical church. In that heritage, we share certain central beliefs, which draw us together in faith and fellowship and make possible a freedom among us on more widely ranging issues.

We describe those central beliefs as “affirmations.” We hope that as you read these affirmations you will find yourself identifying with them in your own faith experience. If they raise questions for you or you would like to read further, we would encourage you to ask your pastor (if you are already in contact with a Covenant church) or any Covenant pastor for more suggestions.

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The Evangelical Covenant Church seeks to form and nurture communities that are deeply committed to Jesus Christ and passionately engaged in Christ’s mission in the world. The purpose of Covenant affirmations is to make clear the values and principles that have guided the Evangelical Covenant Church since its founding in 1885.

For Covenant people, our essential beliefs are summed up in what we call Covenant Affirmations:

We believe the Bible to be the “Word of God, and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine and conduct.”   We desire to be shaped by this living Word of God.   We don’t judge the Bible, the Bible judges us.   It tells us who God is, who we are, and what we need to do in order to be in right relationship with Him.

We believe in the “necessity of the new birth.”   Our founders understood that the Christian faith isn’t reliably transmitted by family, by baptism, or by any other religious or cultural ritual.   We become Christians when we respond personally and gratefully to what God has already done for us in Jesus.

Our purpose as a church is twofold:  we want to see lost people found and hurting people helped.  We are committed to sharing the good news of Jesus while at the same time doing our best to care for those who have physical and emotional needs.

The church is a fellowship of believers.  While we welcome into our services and activities all who have an interest in learning more about biblical Christian faith, membership always comes by confession of personal faith in Jesus Christ.

This affirmation is a reminder that God’s Spirit is active in all aspects of our relationship to God.  We can’t come to faith in the first place unless it is the Spirit who convicts us of our sin and need; and once we accept Christ, the Spirit gives us special gifts that allow us to find our own place of witness and service within the Church.

We focus on what unites followers of Jesus rather than on what divides them.  When it comes to those debatable matters that sincere Christians have discussed (and sometimes argued about) for generations, we want to be humble and open to various points of view.  When it comes, however, to those central truths that have been common to all Christians everywhere, we want to be clear and unambiguous in our witness.

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