What We Believe
Statement of Faith
New Life Church proclaims the Nicene Creed as our statement of faith. This creed dates back to the fourth century, when Christians came together and composed this formative and definitive statement. The Nicene Creed has stood the test of time as a standard of what Christians from every stream of the Body of Christ believe. It is more than an intellectual checklist of doctrine; it is a confession of worship that forms us as the people of God and draws us together into the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son].1 With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic2 and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
1. Early versions of the Nicene Creed do not contain the phrase “and the Son.”
2. Or “universal.”
Beliefs and Practices
WORSHIP
When the people of God gather in worship, God is active. The Holy Spirit communicates the manifest presence of God in the midst of corporate worship. Declaring the reign of Christ into the atmosphere changes the atmosphere. We believe that one of the ways the Holy Spirit expresses this reign is through the orderly exercise of spiritual gifts. At the heart of our corporate worship is communion, which we receive nearly every Sunday.
PRAYER
Prayer is one of the ways for Christians to know God intimately and personally. Moreover, it is in prayer that we participate with God in what He is doing on earth. We discern the heart of God and add our “yes” to His Word and work. Prayer is the engine of ministry at New Life Church. Every week there are prayer meetings in the World Prayer Center, to bring opportunities for corporate prayer.
FAMILY
We believe that the church is one big family, spanning the generations. Moreover, discipleship is a life-long journey of following Christ together, being formed as the people of God. New Life Church is committed to each generation and every stage of life, from exploring the Bible with children to finding community as a single to leading discussions about God’s faithfulness with grandparents.
MISSIONS
We believe that every believer is invited into God’s mission of redeeming and restoring His world. As a church, we believe we are called to announce in both word and deed the good news that Jesus is Lord, here and now! This happens through church planting, global missions, and local outreach.
We are committed to planting healthy local churches around the United States. As the Lord sends us leaders, our goal is to pay attention to God’s work in their lives and to cooperate with it. We take seriously the call to raise them up and send them out for the sake of the world, not holding them back for our own sake.