Occasionally when I read various statements of faith I find them quite dogmatic. That is they relate a strong set of principles concerning faith and morals laid down by a church, institution, etc. Sadly it’s possible when asserting these opinions for them to come off in a doctrinaire or arrogant manner.

What I read below is not like this. I’ve been quite encouraged by their stand recently. This comes from a North American group of Evangelicals called the ‘Missio Alliance’.

The focus of our work

Doctrinal Issues

1. What is the missio Dei and the Sending nature of God?
We seek to understand the implications of God’s Triune Sending Nature for the practice of the church in North America.

2. What is God’s salvation in Christ in the world and how might we understand it in a way that honors substitutionary atonement yet places it within the whole context of God’s work to set the world right?
We commit to working out what this means for conversion and sanctification of the individual believer as well as his/her participation in the Mission of God in the whole world.

3. What is the Kingdom of God and its relation to Jesus Christ as Reigning King?
We commit to working out the implications of this truth, especially in terms of what role the church has in bringing in this Kingdom into the world.

4. What does it mean to say the Bible is true and possesses ultimate authority for the church and the believer?
We seek an understanding of how that authority is played out in both the church and its relation to the world.

5. What does it mean to engage culture in a manner that seeks the transformation of the city, our neighborhoods and our local context whatever that might look like?
We seek a robust understanding of the church’s relation to culture for the practice of demonstrating and proclaiming the full gospel in each context we live.

I like it because they ask questions and resolve to seek out the answers. They don’t stand up and say they know it all. Rather they invite people on a journey to learn more.