Double Space, Times New Roman 12pt font, Chicago Manual Style.
Statement of Faith.
Develop your personal statement of Christian faith incorporating all three (3) sections listed below.
Each Statement will consist of the following three (3) sections:
Your statement of faith (8-9 pages). The following topics are to be incorporated into your statement of Christian faith. Use this as a checklist. The topics have been listed alphabetically. Give some thought as to the way you would like to organize them in your paper.
*Christ: how you know Jesus Christ in your life; the person and work of Jesus Christ; his humanity and divinity
*Church: how you know and belong to the church; the origin, nature, and mission of the church; ordination and the nature of *Christian ministry; sacraments/ordinances
*Eschatology: how you know eschatological matters and how they affect your Christian life and ministry: millennial theories; the second coming of Christ; resurrection of the dead; judgment; heaven and hell
*God: how you know God at this time in your life; God’s existence, character and work; the Trinity; theodicy
*Holy Spirit: how you know the Holy Spirit in your life; the person and work of the Holy Spirit
*Humanity: how you know your own humanity; the origin, nature and destiny of humanity; the image of God in humanity/creation
*Salvation: how you know your salvation; the nature and extent of salvation; justification, conversion, sanctification, and the vocation of the Christian
*Scripture: how you know its revelation, authority and inspiration in your life; the relation between OT and NT; the canon; interpretation of Scripture
*Sin: how you know your own sin; the fall of humanity and original sin; the nature and extent of sin resulting from the fall; the relation between sin, evil and suffering in your life as well as in the world
*Spiritual Disciplines: how you nurture your faith (prayer, meditation, fasting, etc.)
*Worship: the meaning and function of worship in your life, including corporate prayers, music, congregational singing, worship leadership, congregational participation
Your theology of your own ministry and mission (2 pages). A statement of your personal theology of ministry and mission. This is not a statement on the church, but on how you understand and describe your own personal ministry and mission at this point in your life.
A summary of and a personal response to your denomination’s (or faith tradition’s) approach to baptism, Eucharist/communion, ordination, marriage, and Scripture (2-3 pages). In writing this section, you will need to draw on the following resources (or others that are similar) and attach a bibliography of works consulted.
The most recent HANDBOOK OF DENOMINATIONS(Pentecostal)
Your own denominational/faith tradition resources
Your Statement of Faith should reflect the influence you have received from your denominational or faith tradition background on these topics. As you prepare to write your longer statement and address all three sections described above, you will want to consider the following questions to begin the process of thinking and articulating your beliefs:
How you understand the Bible (including how you have been influenced by particular traditions and by your denominational lenses)
The work of the Holy Spirit here and now (in particular situations of your life and ministry)
Christian fellowship in the life of the church (what it is, how you as a church leader are part of it, and how to make it part of church life here and now)
