Where We Stand

Evangelism means introducing an individual to a personal relationship with Christ—emphasizing the experience of a lifelong commitment to and journey with Christ that ultimately results in eternal blessings and benefits, but has much to offer right here and now, too. In that way, evangelism is the first step toward disciple making, so that winning souls for Christ really becomes making disciples—not just getting decisions.

Evangelism is a team effort. Within a faith community, systems must be in place that advocate for evangelism and facilitate its implementation, but following Jesus’ example, evangelism must be modeled by leadership as well. It is an experience of the whole Body of Christ and its members; evangelism is not the responsibility of a few assertive evangelists. With temporal and eternal dimensions, evangelism must be prophetic, speaking to the human condition in the here and now, as well as to the human condition and its relevance to the hereafter. Evangelism impacts its community, speaking to both individuals and institutions and to sinners and the systems they originate and facilitate. Evangelism challenges the soul, and changes society, too.*

Evangelism is, the joyous witness of the People of God, to the redeeming love of God, urging all to repent, and to be reconciled to God and each other, through faith in Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and was raised from the dead, so that, being made new, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, believers are, incorporated as disciples into the church, for worship, fellowship, nurture and, engagement in God’s mission, of evangelization and liberation within society and creation, signifying the Kingdom which is present and yet to come.*

* This definition of evangelism appears in the American Baptist Policy Statement on Evangelism.

We’re Called to a Spirit-filled Life. A Spirit-filled life will be characterized by both the fruit of the Spirit and proper use of the gifts of the Spirit. We believe all Christians are to be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18), “led by the Spirit” (Rom. 8:14), “pray in the Spirit at all times” (Eph. 6:18), and “the Spirit Himself intercedes for us” (Rom. 8:26-27). Furthermore, we are to all “eagerly desire the spiritual gifts” (1 Cor. 12:31, 14:1), which include the gift of tongues (1 Cor. 12:10). Jesus said tongues would be a sign among His followers (Mark 16:17), and Paul said various tongues have been appointed in the Church (1 Cor. 12:28). None of the supernatural “sign” gifts have ceased. See article and video: A biblical case for continuationism.

There are Four Unique Types/Uses of Tongues. First is for evangelism purposes, such as an evangelist proclaiming the Gospel message in an language unknown to the provider, but known by the recipient. This is a sign for unbelievers (Acts 2:4-11; 1 Cor. 14:21-22). Second, is for personal edification, such as a praying or singing in a heavenly language unknown to both the provider and all recipients within earshot (1 Cor. 14:4, 14-18). Third is a form of prophecy, where the language spoken is unknown to the provider and all recipients, but the gift of interpretation is provider to another to interpret it for everyone else (1 Cor. 14:5, 27-28). Fourth is for authentication purposes, such as a sign of the provider being authentically from God, or the recipient being authentically born again and receiving the Holy Spirit, wherein tongues is also accompanied with prophesying (Acts 10:44-47; 15:7-11; 19:6).

Rules for Tongues in the Corporate Assembly. Speaking in tongues is referred to in scripture both in corporate and private worship. We’re not to forbid speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 14:39). Tongues, and public interpretation of tongues, must be done to build up the church (1 Cor. 14:26). But in the church it’s better to “speak five intelligible words than ten thousand in a tongue” (1 Cor. 14:19). Anytime the speaking of tongues occurs publicly it “must be done in a proper and orderly manner,” (1 Cor. 14:40) and “if there is no interpreter people should remain silent in the church and speak only to himself and God” (1 Cor. 14:28). The gift of tongues must be practiced with orderliness, unity, and love.

Tongues are Unnecessary for Evidence of Salvation or Maturity. Although in Scripture people spoke in a tongue following an infilling of the Holy Spirit, this is not normative throughout Scripture. This is what happened during a unique time of historical transition. The absence of explicit commands in the New Testament letters linking the practice of tongues to Spirit-filled living indicates that these instances are not intended to be prescriptive for all Christians in the church era. Furthermore, to insist that speaking in tongues is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s fullness invalidates the experience of all those believers whose lives have given abundant evidence of the power of the Spirit but who have never spoken in tongues. Possessing spiritual gifts is not evidence for the fullness of the Spirit. Gifts can be counterfeited by human will and by Satan (Matt. 7:21-23). Tongues are not necessary or required evidence of the fullness of the Holy Spirit, nor are they considered as the evidence of Christian maturity.

Christians should be known by their Fruit Rather than by their Gifts. One may possess the gift of tongues, or even several of the gifts of the Spirit without enjoying the necessary graces or fruit of the Spirit. If even the greatest gift, prophecy (1 Cor. 12:31; 14:1, 5), can be exercised without the grace of love and thus be little more than noise (1 Cor. 13:1-3), how much more true to have the gift of tongues without love. The fruit of the Spirit make it possible for the Christian to exercise the gifts of the Spirit in a manner that brings glory to God and enhances the testimony of the church. Paul presents love as “the most excellent way,” love is the true essence of all the graces of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:31b). All other fruit spring out of love: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). The most visible evidence of the fullness of the Spirit in the life of the Christian is godliness expressed through love: love for God, love for the body of Christ, and love for a lost world.

The Gifts of the Spirit are for “the Common Good” in the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:7). They are given by the Holy Spirit “just as he determines” (1 Cor. 12:11). Christians should not expect to receive or to exercise any one particular gift, several gifts, or all the gifts. Scripture even explicitly teaches that not all speak in tongues (1 Cor. 12:10, 27-30) and none in the Body are complete without the rest of the Body (1 Cor. 12:7-26). Both the acceptance and the rejection of tongues have caused division in churches, homes, and groups, but the gift of tongues was not intended to be divisive. Pride and division in the Corinthian church created problems in the unity of the body. Paul’s instruction clearly shows that loveless Christianity, unbiblical judgment of others, rifts in a congregation, and refusal to listen to the teaching of Scripture are not of the Holy Spirit.

Learn more (Missionary Church Position Paper)

Non-negotiable: Baptism is central to the Christian faith; is not optional but a commandment; is a way to show in public one’s commitment to God; unifies Christians as members of the same body; has no ultimate significance apart from faith in Jesus Christ. (Mt 28:19)

Ceremony: 1) water is always present, 2) a church leader gives an opportunity for persons involved to profess their faith outwardly on behalf of themselves or to the dedication of their children to the Lord, 3) the leader sprinkles, pours, or immerses the person being baptized and says, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Expressions: Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Lutherans, many Reformed churches and other mainstream Christian denominations do infant baptism bringing the children into the family of God and then once the child reaches “age of accountability” most also do a Confirmation ceremony, which also follows the baptismal formula, for the child to then voluntarily and publicly affirm their own faith. Some Protestant denominations skip the infant baptism altogether, but most others do the exact reverse: a child Dedication ceremony, which, theologically and ceremonially speaking, follows the exact same baptismal formula, and then once the child reaches age of accountability the individual does a baptism ceremony to publicly confess their own faith. Historically, the method of baptism is related to the meaning and symbolism of the ordinance, whether emphasizing initiation into the Christian faith, identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, or infusion of the Holy Spirit and His power.

MCM position: We prefer doing a child dedication ceremony, and then once a person reaches the age of accountability, doing full immersion water baptism after genuine repentance and a public confession of faith, both times “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” This most closely resembles first-century practices. Additionally, it may be symbolically more dramatic, life changing, and memorable to personally repent, confess faith, and be fully immersed. We must remember that its not the water baptism that saves but God’s grace alone in the baptism of the Holy Spirit bringing about new birth in the individual. Regardless of the method chosen, we must remember that it is faith in Christ alone which saves us, not our rigorous attention to ceremonial specifications. Rather than divide our unity over what amounts to most often terminology differences we embrace the fundamental similarities of the various expressions of the same faith and obedience to Jesus for the salvation of our sins.

Non-negotiable: The Lord’s Supper is central to the Christian faith; is not optional but a commandment; is a way to show in public one’s commitment to God; unifies Christians as members of the same body; has no ultimate significance apart from faith in Jesus Christ.

Meaning: The Lord’s Supper is a way to worship Christ for his work, grace, love, and salvation, and participate with gratitude for Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Participation is a testimony of our witness that Jesus died for our sins and resurrected to victory to give us eternal life, and that He will return as a victorious king. Participation provides edification as the Holy Spirit uses this to minister to us individually and collectively. Participation in the sacrificial gift of Christ on the cross reminds us of our call to service as we also “offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” In the sacramental view, the Lord’s Supper is a mystery, a divine instrument instituted by God to bless and nurture believers providing them with God’s grace. In the ordinance view, the Lord’s Supper is symbolic and commemorates—remembers, celebrates, and honors—Christ’s work of salvation for us. Symbolically and spiritually, it is significant that believers (called the Body of Christ) unite together to consume the “body” of Christ.

Ceremony: Bread and wine/juice is always present, and a church leader always reminds the congregation of Jesus sacrifice for us, often quoting His words at the Last Supper, the night before His crucifixion: “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Then He took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Expressions: There are various perspectives held, each on various degrees of the spectrum relating to “presence”. On the far left, is a view that the real presence of Christ is in the elements once they’re consecrated by a priest, meaning the elements transform, so it’s not just a symbolic or spiritual presence. Called transubstantiation, this position is held by Catholics, Orthodox, and some Anglicans. A step to the right, is the view that the presence of Christ is supernaturally alongside the elements once they’re consecrated by clergy. In this position, the elements are not physically changed but they are still changed. This position, called sacramental union or consubstantiation, is held by Lutherans and some Anglicans. Next is the view that the real spiritual presence is in the elements, spiritually lifting one up uniting them to Jesus, rather than Him descending down to us. This position is held by Reformed, Presbyterian, some Anglicans, and some Baptists. Lastly, on the far right, is a view that the Lord’s Supper was meant to be an ordinance, where Christ is only spiritually or symbolically present. This view is held by many Baptists, Pentecostals, some Anglicans, most Contemporary Evangelicals, and many non-denominational churches.

MCM position: There is an abundance of scripture that supports the precedence for, and lends credibility to, each one of these views. We believe it’s a mistake to allow divisions in the Body of Christ over this. We believe that Jesus may have intended any of, or even all of, these intended purposes. We believe that the Church of Christ should teach all of them and permit their members to hold different positions, as directed by their conscience, the maturity of faith, and their personal convictions. What should be underlined, highlighted, and emphasized is that God could have intended ANY OR ALL of these things. We should approach God’s throne of grace in complete humility, acknowledging that we are naturally worldly, fleshly sinners saved by grace lacking in full knowledge of spiritual things this side of heaven, with full belief and faith in God that He has the power to do whatever He wants! We should enter the participation of the Lord’s Supper and have faith that whatever God wants to happen when we partake in the Lord’s Supper—CAN, SHOULD, AND WILL happen, by His grace. My prayer every time I receive the Lord’s Supper is that God creates it to be in me whatever it needs to be in order to draw me closer to Him!

See our Lord’s Supper Poster / Wall Art / Wallpaper to learn and to help educate others in your church.

Tribulation & Judgment: We believe that in the End Times there will be a great tribulation culminating with the glorious return of Jesus and the final defeat of Satan, sin, and death. There will be a resurrection of the living and the dead into new eternal, physical bodies. There will be the great White Throne Judgment where Jesus will judge both the living and the dead, some to everlasting joy, some to everlasting damnation. We absolutely reject the current trend of Christian dividing churches and denying the authenticity of other Christians’ faith on the basis of holding a different millennial view. This is not Christ-like behavior and is an abomination within the Church. Regardless of one’s position unity in Christ in love is of far greater importance.

The Millennium: With regards to the Millennial period, we believe devout Christians can hold to various views about how and when this period occurs as long as it does not explicitly deny, ignore, or harmfully reinterpret any passages in the Bible regarding the last days. We fully believe every word of scripture but do not demand a literal interpretation when it comes to highly figurative prophetic literature. We currently, personally, believe in a pre-wrath version of amillennialism. We believe the millennium is NOW, meaning that the millennial period began at the first coming of Jesus and will continue until His second coming. Jesus and His saints are reigning over heaven and earth (primarily in the spiritual realm). The church has brought the presence and influence of God into the world and in large part resulted in an immense increase in God’s blessings, individual morals, and improved ethical systems. This is not to say that evil does not also reign, as it does, both in the hearts of men and in the world. While Satan is still the prince of this fallen and wicked world, Christians are still able to exert authority over him in the name of Jesus, conquer them, and bring deliverance, healing, love of God, and godliness back into individuals and societies. Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth (Matt 28:19) and His church can operate in this authority against the forces of evil. During the millennium, both good and evil will increase in intensity. The wicked will continue to become more wicked and the good will continue to become more godly. Eventually, the wicked will surpass the good to the point where the wicked majority believes that they are doing good and persecutes the truly godly for what they perceive as bad. This will lead to and give way to the birth of the great tribulation and the reign of the antichrist.

The Antichrist. We teach all popular views about the tribulation, the last days, the Antichrist, False Prophet, and Mystery Babylon in order to build educated disciples that are able to understand the various positions held in the Body of Christ and follow their own convictions in determining their own. We believe the focal point of the Great Tribulation and the final antichrist will be Israel in general, and Jerusalem in particular, by its attempted conquest by its surrounding Arab, Muslim neighbors. We believe the final ‘Antichrist’ will come out of ancient Asia Minor (Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran) as Islam’s messianic figure, the twelfth imam, the Mahdi, as a great political, religious, and military leader. We think ‘Mystery Babylon’ may be Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Muslim world in general, and city of Mecca in particular. The ‘False Prophet’ may be Isa, the Muslim Jesus, who will come to support the Mahdi. He will claim to be the Jesus from the Bible, as well as the Messiah of the Jews, and he will perform many signs and wonders and tell them that Islam was the true path and he will deceive many. They will establish a 7 year peace treaty with Israel and co-occupy the Temple in Jerusalem as a place of worship for Muslims, Jews, and Christians to each worship. There will be 3.5 years of peace but then Satan’s wrath will be unleashed and the Mahdi will set himself up in the Temple as god (the abomination that causes desolation) and demand all to worship him. All who resist will be beheaded and killed. There will be a great persecution of Jews and Christians as they flee to the mountains to avoid being martyred.

The Rapture. We teach all popular views about the rapture in order to build educated disciples that are able to understand the various positions held in the Body of Christ and follow their own convictions in determining their own. Of all of the various views that we teach, the only one we outright reject and argue against personally is that of the pre-tribulation rapture. We believe the church will need to experience and persevere through the majority of the 7 year tribulation period but will be raptured before the unleashing of God’s final wrath. It is of grave importance that we are building mature disciples who are ready and prepared to pick up our crosses and face persecution and other challenges for our faith. The pre-tribulation rapture (made popular by the Left Behind series, etc.) is a relatively new doctrine and has very little biblical support. It is not sin against God to disbelieve this teaching and if we are wrong and it turns out to be true then it will be a welcomed blessing for the church. But if it is a false, demonic doctrine that churches are teaching, and is discovered to have been a deception, the result will have been many immature Christians that were unprepared to persevere and fell away from the faith during the tribulation. We do believe in a rapture of the church, perhaps this even being the final resurrection, but not a pre-tribulation rapture.

Mark of the Beast. The Scriptures teach that the mark of the beast is related to the ability of people to buy and sell, and is connected with their direct acknowledgment, worship, and affiliation with the Antichrist. It will not be something a true believer can accidentally do. It is not a Covid-19 immunity shot, a generic identification chip, a energy drink, a software program, or anything else that there is a modern conspiracy theory about. If it is not inherently sinful, blasphemous, and directly in rebellion to God, then it is not the final mark of the beast or any precursor to it.

Belief in a pre or mid-tribulation rapture alone, or a different millennial view does not make anyone less Christian and we do not dogmatically insist that anyone holds to our views in these matters. We’re happy to teach our views and the validity of them, debate or discuss them, or agree to disagree agreeably.

Learn More in our Truth About The Rapture and The Tribulation Course

We believe God created the heaven, the universe and everything in it out of nothing. We affirm the biblical Genesis account of creation as a historical fact. We affirm Adam and Eve as the first historical humans and all humans as their descendants. We affirm that God’s truth is never contradictory but that God’s Word always supersedes our understanding of the science whenever there appears to be a conflict.

We teach a finite-but-old universe, with a Day-Age interpretation of the Genesis account, and the rest of the biblical creation model developed by Reasons To Believe. We reject macro (Darwinian) evolution which teaches that all living organisms have evolved from lesser organisms. We do however accept microevolution, or speciation, as scientific truths and believe this accounts for the variety within the kinds that God has established.

We teach that God supernaturally introduced new species’ of life at various points within Earth’s history (which all occur on “Day” 6) leading up to and culminating in His creation of mankind. While God did create lesser animals and even bipedal primates and hominids prior to humans, we believe that these were considered animals in the Genesis account. ONLY modern humans (homo sapien sapien) is uniquely made in God’s image, within the past 50-100k years, as a tripartite being consisting of body, soul, and spirit.

While we teach the old-earth perspective as taught by RTB, we affirm the authenticity of the faith of those who would still hold a Young Earth or a Theistic evolution creation position such as that of ICR or AIG. We teach that a person can be a devout Christian and still hold to various views about how, when, and how long the process took when God created all of creation, as long as it is biblically justifiable and not diminishing God’s glory in any way.

We believe Christians should learn different views about creation in order to build educated disciples that are able to understand the various positions held in the Body of Christ and follow their own convictions in determining their own. We reject any assault and denial of the authenticity of another’s faith for having a differing creation perspective. Learn More.

We teach that the Christian Church has not replaced ethnic Israel nor does it nullify God’s covenants with ethnic Israel. We also reject the “Two House Doctrine” movement that says Christians are a completely separate institution from Israel.

We believe that the Christian Church, and all Gentiles, are grafted in to the original vine (spiritual Israel), by God’s grace alone, through the atonement of Jesus on our behalf, and are therefore beneficiaries of God’s covenant promises to Abraham on that basis.

We absolutely reject all forms of anti-Semitism against the Jewish people, the religion of Judaism, or the land of Israel. As God’s chosen people we believe that God has a special place in His heart for both the Jewish people and the national land of Israel. (Rom. 11:24-26) We support the effort to reach out to Jewish friends and teach them about Jesus.

We believe that as we draw closer to the end time there will be continued increases in Messianic Judaism and in the Jewish people believing in and accepting Yeshua (Jesus) as their Jewish Messiah. We see this already with 1 in every 48 ethnic Jews worldwide now believing in Jesus and. We support and encourage a mutual love within the Messianic Jewish movement. What do Messianic Jews believe?

We generally stand with modern-day Israel as its ally and defend its right to possess the land that has been rightfully its for nearly 3,400 years. We believe that as End Times prophecy continues to be fulfilled it will culminate in a socio-economic-political-military focus around Israel, and Jerusalem in particular. We hope and pray that the United States holds to its Conservative Christian and Zionist foundations and remains a political, economic, and military ally with Israel until and during the tribulation period.  Learn More.

On God and Salvation: We proclaim and are duty bound to proclaim without fail, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and is ‘the way, the truth and the life’ (John 1:6). It is in Him alone in whom God has reconciled all things to himself (cf. 2 Cor 5:18-19), and in Him that men find not only their salvation but also the fullness of their moral, spiritual, religious and social life. We reject that God, as revealed in the Qur’an i.e. Allah, is one-and-the-same as our God and Father, that Muhammad is a true prophet of our God, or that the Qur’an is a divine revelation from our God in any way. While Islam corroborates some essential truths (monotheism, sin, judgment day, Heaven/Hell, virgin birth of Jesus, etc.) it also outright rejects many essential truths (humanity’s fallen nature; Jesus’s deity, atonement, death and resurrection; salvation by faith, etc.). The fact that Islam corroborates certain realities common to Judaism or Christianity doesn’t confirm it as legitimate revelation from God. Rather, its copying of previously-revealed truths, intermingled with half-truths as well as ungodly beliefs and practices and works-based salvation, that confirm it as an absolutely satanic work of deception. We reject all forms of syncretism that attempt to redefine absolute truth and blend the two faiths together and therefore distort the essence of both Christianity and Islam. Learn More.

Interfaith Coexistence: With regards to interfaith dialogue we believe all Christians should enter with prudence and charity into discussion and collaboration with members of other religions. Christians are to be kind to all neighbors, even to the point of loving our own enemies. However, we are also to uphold righteousness, vindicate the weak, and seek justice, and do so with mercy. We are to abstain from all alliances and interactions that contradict our conscience, our obedience to Christ, or our representation of Christ before the world. While Muslims and Christians alike both believe one another is deceived by Satan it is our official position to approach Muslim neighbors with humility and gentleness and respect. (As opposed to assaulting their beliefs and saying they worship Allah who is actually Satan, which is highly offensive.) Our desire to win Muslims to Christ for their own salvation should be emphasized and opposed to any desire to boast, judge, argue, or condemn. Additionally, our witness is only effective if also accompanied with respect for their beliefs, a genuine love and concern for their well being, our personal godly character and virtuous lifestyle, and a willingness to take the time to nurture a relationship of mutual understanding. Christians are to be a witness of our own faith and way of life, and through peaceful dialogue, mutual respect, and friendship, seek to share our faith with our Muslim friends and neighbors. We should also acknowledge, preserve, and encourage all spiritual and moral truths found among non-Christians, as well as all godly ethics or practices whether social or cultural that we share in common. (Micah 6:8, Isaiah 56:1, Psalm 82:3, Leviticus 20:23, 1 John 2:6)

Political Islam: We believe that segments of radical Islam have a religious-political agenda to undermine and eventually overtake all democratic and free societies and subject them to Islamic control under sharia law. Sharia law is not good for non-Muslims and, in comparison to American liberty, isn’t even good for Muslim women and children. We believe that this agenda will never cease because in the Qur’an, Islam’s holy book, Allah demands faithful believers to jihad forever for his cause, or face judgment in Hell. Additionally, Allah’s apostle Muhammad, Islam’s quintessential founder and every Muslim’s archetypal prototype to emulate, spent his entire political and military career in religious-politically motivated military conquest, and his life and teachings are the foundation on how to be a good Muslim. Thus, this agenda is permanent, will never evolve, and will never change because it is based on “Allah’s perfect will.”

While not every Muslim is a “lesser” jihadist, conservative, faithful Muslims that obey the Qur’an and imitate Muhammad are. This totalitarianism mandate for all Muslims (Islamofacism) can be pursued through military jihad, as in the case of war or terrorism, or through socio-political-economic means through the influence of society. While some “moderate” Muslims do exist that esteem religious liberty, equality, and American values, they are doing so in rebellion and contradiction to the teachings of their religion, which declares that sharia is the highest law. Additionally, socio-political jihadists have successfully infiltrated liberal America, and under the guise of “intolerance and Islamophobia” are successfully promoting and encouraging, Muslim religious liberties at the expense of American ideals, including sharia-specific accommodations in America. This has been used by socio-political jihadists to subvert American ideals and indoctrinate Americans into gradually accepting sharia. What the liberals’ fail to recognize is that sharia law is totalitarian and desires an Islamic theocracy (rather than a democracy) and will actually strip away all of the freedoms that they are advocating for. Essentially, liberals are fighting for a Muslim’s “right” to bring an ideal to America, that if that ideal were accepted on a grand scale, would take away all the other rights we hold dear. Learn More.

Freedom & Liberty: We are an advocate for a free society based on Judeo-Christian and secular humanism ideals that values democracy, personal freedom, religious pluralism, human dignity and equality and civil liberty. While we disagree with the sinful and ungodly direction many people within our country take, and do desire more of those elements such as modesty, kindness, etc. in common with Muslims, we do support an individual’s right to choose their own beliefs and lifestyle for themselves. We believe that God desires genuine, non-coerced faith and sincere obedience. We believe that God has ordained free will for a reason, and that freedom to obey God and His laws, including to believe in and follow Christ, should be one’s own free choices to make and not one imposed on by the state. Freedom to practice one’s religion in peace is afforded to each of us by the U.S. Constitution and we will continue to defend it vigorously. Likewise, we refute an attempt by society to silence one’s religious freedoms or force them against their religious convictions.

We are committed to recruiting, training, and mobilizing both Christians, and all citizens in agreement, community by community, to help protect and preserve American culture and individual freedoms and to keep this nation safe. We will continue to fight those who seek America’s destruction, as well as those who seek to impose their radical Islamic ideals on others, including on moderate, Western-loving Muslims, many of whom we are happy to partner with in this critical fight. Anyone who traffics in prejudice, or advocates violence in any way towards our moderate Muslim allies does not speak on behalf of MPowered Christian, or Jesus for that matter.

Christian Conduct: We believe that Christians and Muslims, Christianity and Islam, can live side by side without hatred, with respect for the beliefs of each person, so as to build together a free and humane society. We absolutely reject, as foreign to the mind of Christ, any bias, discrimination, violence, or any harassment of others on the basis of their race, gender, color, condition in life, beliefs, religion, or political persuasion. Accordingly, following the footsteps of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, we earnestly beg all Christian faithful to ‘conduct themselves well among the Gentiles’ (1 Peter 2:12) and if possible, as far as depends on them, to be at peace with all men (cf. Romans 12:18), and in that way to be true sons of the Father who is in heaven (cf. Matthew 5:45).

Our Article: Alcohol and Christianity – Alcoholic Intoxication, Sin, and Demons

Learn more about Abstinence from Alcohol (paper by Assemblies of God)

Learn more (paper by Missionary Church)

The important role of women in ministry is clearly affirmed in both the Old and New Testaments (see Judg. 4-5; Esth. 1-9; Acts 18:18-28, 21:8-9; and Rom. 16:1-2). As began on the day of Pentecost, “Your sons and daughters will prophesy… Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:28, 29; Acts 2:16–18). That women also prophesy is indicative of their inclusion in the ministries of the new covenant age.

As members of the Body of Christ, all women have been given spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12). God has uniquely gifted certain women for administrative and leadership roles. It’s God’s will these women engage in church and para-church ministries, such as serving on boards and committees, teaching Sunday school classes that may include men, speaking in services, and serving on ministerial staff.

We affirm the essential equality of men and women regarding their standing before God, status as His adopted child, temple of His Spirit, status as priest (priesthood of all believers), and common great commission (1 Cor. 11:11; Gal. 3:28; Heb. 7; 1 Pet. 2:9; Matt. 28:19-20). However, there is a functional difference of role reflected in 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. This difference does not deny the essential equality of men and women, just as God being the head of Christ does not deny the essential equality of the Father and the Son (1 Cor. 11:3). Likewise, the Holy Spirit, who is also eternal God, has assumed a subordinate position to the Father and Son as well, and only speaks what He hears from them (John 16:13-14). Modeling how Christ is head of the church, husband head of his wife, parents head of their children, and so on, so also the church should reflect this distinction in role. Equal in quality and status, but subordinate in role.

The New Testament words “elder” and “overseer” refer to the same leadership office over the local congregation (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Tim. 2:11-14). New Testament references indicate that this office should be filled by men. Many churches consider the pastor-teacher role, if not all of the fivefold ministry roles in Ephesians 4:11 to be equivalent to the elder/overseer role. If this is the case then obedience to Scripture indicates that those roles should only be filled by men. However, at this time, we are not convinced that the fivefold ministry roles are equivalent to the elder/overseer role. It makes no sense to single out pastor-teacher when the same does not apply to prophet in the same list, and Scripture clearly shows women prophets. Thus, our conclusion is that elder/overseer could be a church’s senior pastor and elder board, etc. If this argumentation proves valid then women could be functionally pastors, teachers, etc. as long as they’re not in violation of this principle of submission to male headship.

The position of the pastor in a church with one pastor or the senior pastor in a church with multiple staff is the contemporary equivalent of this New Testament office of elder/overseer. In addition, denominational and district executives who serve as overseers of the church generally or local churches specifically shall be men. In situations of need and for the duration of that need, a woman may serve in these role and perform these ministries. But in 1 Timothy 2:12 in the Greek, Paul says a woman should not “continue” as the official teacher of a congregation nor “continue” having authority over men. He does not forbid her doing such altogether. What the New Testament teaches about the role of women in ministry is God’s continuing will in every era.

Learn more about this topic (Women in Ministry series by Mike Winger)