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Updated 25 February, 2005

Statement of Faith

   

 

We subscribe to the basis of Faith of the Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Communion.
We accept the Thirtynine Articles as a general exposition of the Reformed Faith and emphasise the four doctrines which follow:

 

1:Scripture
We accept the 66 canonical books of the Old and New Testaments as the true word of God, the only rule of Christian faith and conduct, sufficient for salvation and supreme in its authority, by which the church must continually reform itself and judge its traditions.

2:Justification by Faith
We believe that man, sinful and guilty, is justified by God on the grounds of atoning death of Christ alone, through faith alone, and that good works and holy living follow justification by faith as its evidence.

3:The Ministry and The Lord's Supper
We acknowledge Jesus Christ as our only and all sufficient mediator between God and man, and his death as the only sacrifice for sins.
We therefore believe that the functions of the ordained ministry are pastoral not priestly.
We believe that the Communion service is an occasion for offering praise and thanksgiving, and of ourselves and our gifts as members of the priesthood of all believers.
We believe that The Lord's Supper, with the bread and wine, is a sacrament administered to man, not a sacrifice to God.
We affirm, further, that all ceremonial used in worship should be a true expression of these Biblical doctrines.

4:The Church
We believe that the church is God's family, redeemed by his Son and indwelt by his Spirit, whose calling is to worship God, nurture believers in the faith, and to witness to him in the world.
Although we hold that the spiritual unity of the church already exists since the one Spirit energises the one body, we welcome all efforts to achieve full communion between churches, provided that biblical trust is not compromised.