While our Statement of Faith includes doctrines that are recognized to be universal and primary within the Church, there are a number of secondary beliefs that are debated even among Bible-believing, evangelical (gospel-centered) churches of which we have strong convictions and are passionate to proclaim. Not all Christians hold these beliefs to the same degree or with the same conviction (even within our congregation), but they are nonetheless important and true as we understand the Scriptures. These theological distinctives will inform the preaching, teaching, and other ministries of the pastors of ECC, though total agreement with them is not required for membership.

For more information on these subjects, check out our Recommended Reading List


Baptist Covenant Theology

We teach that God’s redemptive plan and dealings with mankind throughout history are based on the covenants he sovereignly and graciously established. Baptist Covenant Theology, as found in the 1689 London Baptist Confession, is the interpretive framework we believe most accurately explains the whole of Scripture and the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. It impacts our understanding of God and his gospel, Israel and the Church, the ordinances, the end times, and more. This approach to Scripture differs from both Dispensationalism and Presbyterian Covenant Theology found in the Westminster Confession. It developed as a result of the magisterial Reformation, but is rooted in the earliest days of catholic Christianity and historically appreciated in all the various branches of the Reformed community (Baptist, Presbyterian, Congregationalist, Independent, Anglican, and Reformed).

The Doctrines of Grace

We teach, as understood from the consistent testimony of the Scriptures, that salvation, from beginning to end, is solely the work of our Triune God. The unmerited favor that God grants to radically corrupt sinners is entirely of His sovereign grace and according to his eternal purposes to the praise of his glory alone. Therefore, we believe that God is decisively responsible for drawing those He would save unto Himself, overcoming their natural resistance to the gospel, sanctifying them, and sustaining them to the end. Yet, we also believe that God’s soveregin grace serves as the foundation of, and fuel for, the believer’s holiness, prayer, perseverance, and evangelism. In other words, we humbly embrace the mysterious tension between God’s sovereignty and our responsibility (Deut. 7:6-8; John 6:35-44; 10:7-16, 25-30; 17:1-26; Acts 13:48; Rom. 8:7-8; 8:28-9:23; 11:36; 1 Cor. 1:8-9; 2 Cor. 4:4-6; Eph. 1:3-14; 2:1-10; Php. 1:6; 2:12; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 1:9-10; 2:19, 25; 1 Pet. 1:3-5).

The Gifts of the Spirit

We teach that, while the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still distributed to the church for its edification according to God’s sovereign prerogative, there are no more Apostles today (1 Cor 15:8; Eph 2:20; cf. Acts 1:20-26). Therefore, the signs of a true Apostle (2 Cor. 12:12) do not occur as they did in the first century church, before the canon of Scripture was completed. We believe the “sign” gifts of tongues (speaking in unknown lexical languages), healings, prophecy, and the working of miracles do not function in the same manner as they did in the early church (i.e., to confirm the word of God and lay the foundation of the church) and are no longer normative for the church today. All we need to know for salvation and sanctification has been given to us through the teaching of God’s apostles and prophets, and this teaching is now found in the Scriptures (Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:11, 28-31; 14:1; 15:8; 2 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 2:20; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Heb. 1:1-3; Jude 3).

Complementarianism

We teach that men and women, while absolutely equal in essence, dignity, and value as they together bear the image of God, are nevertheless different by divine design. As part of God’s good created order, men and women are to have different, important, strategic, yet complementary roles in the home, church, and society. We affirm that the teaching office of the Church is assigned only to biblically qualified men (elders), grounded in creation, fall, and redemption, and must not be sidelined by appeals to cultural developments. These role distinctions are God’s gracious gift to man and woman and are to be protected, preserved and practiced for His glory and our joy (1 Cor. 11:2-16; 14:33-35; Eph. 5:22-33; Col. 3:18-19; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; 1 Pet. 3:1-7). For more information, see the Danvers Statement, the 9Marks Journal on Complementarianism, and our article, Why We Are a Complementarian Church