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| Jesus is our example, teacher, friend, redeemer, and Lord. |
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| Jesus is the focal point of God's revelation. |
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| Christendom seriously distorted the Gospel. |
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| Association of the church with status, wealth, and force is inappropriate. |
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| Churches are called to be committed communities. |
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| Spirituality and economics are interconnected. |
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| Peace is at the heart of the Gospel. |
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| Jesus is our example, teacher, friend, redeemer, and Lord. He is the source of our life, the central reference point for our faith and lifestyle, for our understanding of church, and our engagement with society. We are committed to following Jesus as well as worshiping him. |
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| Jesus is the focal point of God's revelation. We are committed to a Jesus-centered approach to the Bible, and to the community of faith as the primary context in which we read the Bible and discern and apply its implications for discipleship. |
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| Western culture is slowly emerging from the Christendom era, when church and state jointly presided over a society in which almost all were assumed to be Christian. Whatever its positive contributions on values and institutions, Christendom seriously distorted the gospel, marginalized Jesus, and has left the churches ill equipped for mission in a post-Christendom culture. As we reflect on this, we are committed to learning from the experience and perspectives of movements such as Anabaptism that rejected standard Christendom assumptions and pursued alternative ways of thinking and behaving. |
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| The frequent association of the church with status, wealth, and force is inappropriate for followers of Jesus and damages our witness. We are committed to exploring ways of being good news to the poor, powerless, and persecuted, aware that such discipleship may attract opposition, resulting in suffering and sometimes ultimately martyrdom. |
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| Churches are called to be committed communities of discipleship and mission, places of friendship, mutual accountaility, and multivoiced worship. As we eat together, sharing bread and wine, we sustain hope as we seek God's kingdom together. We are committed to nurturing and developing such churches , in which young and old are valued, leadership is consultative, roles are related to gifts rather than gender, and baptism is for believers. |
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| Spirituality and economics are interconnected. In an individualist and consumerist culture and in a world where economic injustice is rife, we are committed to finding ways of living simply, sharing generously, caring for creation, and working for justice. |
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| Peace is at the heartof the Gospel. As followers of Jesus in a divided and violent world, we are committed to finding nonviolent alternatives and to learning how to make peace Subetween individuals, within and among churches, in society, and between |
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