Statement of Faith

Ekklesia Fellowship is an independent, non-denominational Christian church.

Our beliefs are rooted in the Bible and in historic orthodox Christianity. We seek to understand Scripture in its proper context and faithfully follow Jesus Christ in both belief and practice.

The Bible is our authority. Jesus Christ is our Lord. The Holy Spirit is our guide.

The Bible

We believe the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired and authoritative Word of God, given through the Holy Spirit. We believe the original writings are without error and are fully trustworthy in all that they affirm.

Scripture is our final authority for faith, doctrine, and life. We seek to read, understand, and apply God's Word faithfully, according to its context and intended meaning.

God

We believe in one true and living God, eternally existing in three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Each Person is fully God, sharing one divine nature, yet each is distinct in Person and relationship. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, and the Holy Spirit is eternal.

God is holy, righteous, loving, sovereign, and worthy of all worship.

Jesus Christ

We believe Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, fully God and fully man. He existed from eternity and was with God in the beginning, and through Him all things were made.

We believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life and perfectly revealed the character of God.

We believe Jesus willingly gave Himself on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins, bearing the penalty we deserved and making reconciliation with God possible through His death.

He was physically raised from the dead on the third day, defeating sin and death. He ascended bodily into heaven, where He is seated at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for His people.

We believe Jesus Christ will personally and visibly return in glory. He is the only way to the Father, the only Savior, and Lord of all.

The Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, eternally God and fully divine. He was active in creation and throughout the Scriptures and continues His work in the world and in the lives of believers today.

We believe the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, brings people to repentance and faith, regenerates and indwells those who believe in Jesus Christ, and seals believers as God's own.

We believe there is a distinct baptism of the Holy Spirit, an empowering work of God given to believers according to His will and timing. This baptism equips believers for greater power and effectiveness in witnessing and serving Christ.

We believe every believer is called to be filled and led by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit produces spiritual fruit in the life of the believer and gives spiritual gifts for the building up of the body of Christ.

We believe the spiritual gifts described in Scripture are available to the church today and should be exercised according to biblical instruction, with love, humility, and good order.

We believe the gift of tongues is a genuine gift of the Holy Spirit, given according to His will and for His purposes. It cannot be manufactured, taught, or used as a test or confirmation of salvation. All spiritual gifts are to be exercised in submission to Scripture and for the edification of the church. 

The Holy Spirit always glorifies Jesus Christ and never contradicts the Word of God.

Humanity & Sin

We believe every human being is created in the image of God and therefore possesses inherent dignity, value, and purpose.

We believe humanity was created good but, through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, sin entered the world and brought separation from God, corruption, suffering, and death.

We believe all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are incapable of saving themselves or becoming righteous before God through their own works. Every person is in need of God's grace and reconciliation through Jesus Christ.

We believe God created humanity as male and female, according to His good design. We believe that biological sex is given by God and is not determined by personal identity or cultural definition.

We believe marriage is a covenant established by God between one man and one woman, and that sexual intimacy belongs within that covenant.

We believe God's design for human sexuality is good and that followers of Christ are called to honor Him with their bodies and lives.

Salvation

We believe salvation is the gift of God, offered by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and received through repentance and faith. It cannot be earned through good works, religious practice, or human effort.

We believe repentance is a genuine change of mind, heart, and direction: turning away from sin and turning toward God. Repentance and faith are not works by which we earn salvation, but the response of a heart drawn to God by His grace.

We believe that Jesus Christ's death on the cross provides the full and sufficient payment for our sins, and that His resurrection secures our hope of eternal life.

We believe that when a person places their faith in Jesus Christ, they are forgiven, justified, born again by the Holy Spirit, and reconciled to God. They become a new creation and are adopted as children of God.

We believe salvation is entirely the work of God's grace, while genuine faith produces a life increasingly shaped by the Holy Spirit and God's Word.

We believe those who are truly born again are eternally secure in Christ. Our assurance rests not in our own performance, but in the finished work of Jesus Christ and the faithfulness of God.

The Church

We believe the Church is the body of Christ, made up of all who have been born again through faith in Jesus Christ. Christ is the head of the Church, and every believer is a member of His body.

We believe the Church exists to glorify God, worship Jesus Christ, proclaim the gospel, teach the whole counsel of Scripture, make disciples, pray, serve others, and encourage believers to grow in faith and holiness.

We believe the Church is a people, not a building or institution. The local church is a gathering of believers who commit themselves to Christ and to one another through worship, teaching, fellowship, prayer, communion, service, and the making of disciples.

We believe every believer is given gifts and a place within the body of Christ. Ministry is not reserved for a select few, but every Christian is called to serve according to God's Word and the gifts He has given.

We believe the local church should be a place where believers are known, loved, encouraged, corrected, cared for, and equipped to follow Jesus in every part of life.

We believe the Church is larger than any one local congregation, denomination, or tradition. All who belong to Christ are part of His body, and we seek to recognize and honor faithful followers of Jesus wherever they gather.

We believe the Church is called to live as a faithful witness to Jesus Christ, loving God and loving others while awaiting His return.

Baptism & Communion

We believe baptism is an act of obedience to Jesus Christ and a public declaration of faith in Him. Baptism is for those who have personally placed their faith in Jesus Christ and is not a means of earning or receiving salvation.

We practice baptism by immersion, which portrays the believer's identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We do not practice infant baptism, believing that baptism follows personal faith in Christ.

We believe Communion, or the Lord's Supper, was given by Jesus to His Church as a remembrance of His sacrifice and a proclamation of the gospel. Through Communion, believers remember Christ's body given for us and His blood shed for us, giving thanks for His finished work and looking forward to His return.

Communion is an act of worship and remembrance reserved for those who have personally placed their faith in Jesus Christ. We welcome all genuine believers to participate, regardless of their local church or denominational background.

We encourage those who have not yet placed their faith in Christ to observe rather than participate, recognizing the seriousness of remembering and proclaiming His sacrifice. We do this not to exclude, but to honor the meaning of Communion and to avoid treating lightly what Scripture calls believers to examine themselves concerning.

Christian Life

We believe that those who belong to Christ are called to walk with Him in every part of life. The Christian life is not merely a profession of belief, but an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ marked by faith, repentance, obedience, and dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

We believe believers are called to grow in the knowledge of God's Word, prayer, worship, fellowship, holiness, and service. We are to love God with all that we are and love others as Christ has loved us.

We believe sanctification is an ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, transforming us into the likeness of Christ. We are called to turn away from sin and pursue holiness while relying upon God's grace.

We believe Christians are called to live with humility, integrity, compassion, generosity, forgiveness, and love, caring for those in need and serving others without seeking recognition.

We believe believers are responsible to encourage, exhort, and lovingly correct one another according to Scripture. Biblical accountability is an expression of love among those who follow Christ, intended to restore, strengthen, and help one another walk faithfully with God.

We believe the Church is called to meet people where they are, welcoming them with grace and pointing them toward Jesus. We do not expect those who do not yet follow Christ to live according to Christian standards. We seek to share the gospel through both truth and love, trusting the Holy Spirit to draw people to Christ and transform their lives.

We believe Christians are called to be faithful witnesses for Jesus Christ, making disciples while living as lights in the world.

We believe human life is sacred because every person bears the image of God. Therefore, we are called to protect, value, and care for human life, particularly the vulnerable and those who cannot speak for themselves. 

We believe our identity and hope are found in Christ, not in the approval of the world. We are called to live faithfully according to God's Word while showing grace, truth, and love toward others.

We do not walk this life alone. We need God, and we need one another.

The Return of Christ

We believe Jesus Christ will personally and visibly return for His Church. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, and the eternal destiny of every person.

We believe in the blessed hope of the resurrection and catching away of the Church, commonly referred to as the Rapture. We believe this will occur before the period of tribulation described in Scripture.

We believe Jesus Christ will return bodily and visibly to establish His kingdom and reign for a literal thousand years, fulfilling God's promises and purposes.

We believe Satan will ultimately be defeated and judged, and that God will bring about the final judgment and establish a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells.

We believe those who have trusted in Jesus Christ will spend eternity with God, while those who reject Him will face eternal separation from God and judgment.

We hold our understanding of biblical prophecy with conviction and humility. We believe Scripture leads us to this understanding, but we do not consider one's position on the timing of end-time events to be a matter of salvation or a reason for division among believers.

Our blessed hope is not a timeline. It is Jesus Christ Himself.