What We Believe

We believe the Bible is the Word of God. We believe the Three-in-One God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe Jesus is the Son of God, perfect man and perfect God at the same time. We believe we are sinners and desperately need of God’s salvation. We believe church is the body of Christ and the Holy Spirit dwells within her. We believe Jesus will come again as He said in the Bible to judge the living and the dead. For more faith statements, please refer to the manual of the C&MA.

Our Statement of Faith

  1. There is one God[1], who is infinitely perfect[2], existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit[3].

  2. Jesus Christ is the true God and the true man[4]. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary[5]. He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust[6], as a substitutionary sacrifice[7], and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood[8]. He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures[9]. He is now at the right hand of Majesty on high as our great High Priest[10]. He will come again to establish His kingdom, righteousness and peace[11].

  3. The Holy Spirit is a divine person[12], sent to indwell, guide, teach, empower the believer[13], and convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment[14].

  4. The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice[15].

  5. Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God[16]: he fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. All men are born with a sinful nature[17], are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ[18]. The portion of the unrepentant and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment[19]; and that of the believer, in everlasting joy and bliss[20].

  6. Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God[21].

  7. It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly[22], being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service[23]. This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion[24].

  8. Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body[25]. Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age[26].

  9. The Church consists of all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church[27], which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the gospel to all nations[28]. The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper[29].

  10. There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life[30]; for the latter, a resurrection unto judgment[31].

  11. The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent [32] and will be personal, visible, and premillennial[33]. This is the believer’s blessed hope and is a vital truth which is an incentive to holy living and faithful service[34].

[1] Deuteronomy 6:4, [2] Matthew 5:48, [3] Matthew 28:19, [4] Philippians 2:6–11, [5] Luke 1:34–38, [6] 1 Peter 3:18, [7] Hebrews 2:9, [8] Romans 5:9, [9] Acts 2:23–24, [10] Hebrews 8:1, [11] Matthew 26:64, [12] John 14:15–18, [13] John 16:13; Acts 1:8, [14] John 16:7–11, [15] 2 Peter 1:20–21; 2 Timothy 3:15–16, [16] Genesis 1:27, [17] Romans 3:23, [18] 1 Corinthians15:20–23, [19] Revelation 21:8, [20] Revelation 21:1–4, [21] Titus 3:4–7, [22] 1 Thessalonians 5:23, [23] Acts 1:8, [24] Romans 6:1–14, [25] Matthew 8:16–17, [26] James 5:13–16, [27] Ephesians 1:22–23, [28] Matthew 28:19–20, [29] Acts 2:41–47, [30] 1 Corinthians 15:20–23, [31] John 5:28–29, [32] Hebrews 10:37, [33] Luke 21:27, [34] Titus 2:11–14

Our Value

  1. Lost people matter to God. He wants them found. (Luke 19:10)

    2. In the formative years of our movement, the Holy Spirit instilled within A. B. Simpson a passion to reach people with no knowledge of Jesus Christ in his “Jerusalem” and around the world. That passion still lives in The Alliance today and is our first core value: Lost people matter to God. He wants them found.

  2. Prayer is the primary work of God’s people. (Philippians 4:6-7)

    3. We believe that nothing of lasting value can be done unless it is bathed in prayer. So passionate in his belief that prayer is the foundation of all ministry, Alliance founder A. B. Simpson was compelled to create a prayer league that would focus on the world’s evangelization. He believed that the Prayer Alliance would “prove to be the mightiest force in the spread of missions.” That force still drives The Alliance today. Prayer is the primary work of God’s people.

  3. Everything we have belongs to God. We are His stewards.(1 Chronicles 29:14)

    4. Everything we have belongs to God. We are His stewards. This core value is intrinsic to the nature and structure of The Alliance. As Scripture encourages us to remember, it’s not the amount of money we have or how much we give—it’s recognizing that everything we have comes from God (Luke 21:1–4). We teach and practice the blessing and effectiveness of the faith principle of giving. The issue is not how much to give but how much to keep.

  4. Knowing and obeying God’s Word is fundamental to all true success. (Joshua 1:8)

    5. If the Alliance had a “life application” verse, it would be Matthew 28:19: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”—The Great Commission! But the next verse is equally important: “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Knowing and obeying God’s Word is fundamental to all true success.

  5. Completing the Great Commission will require the mobilization of every fully devoted disciple. (Matthew 28:19)

    6. Completing the Great Commission will require the mobilization of every fully devoted disciple. In the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the first priority of every minister, congregation, and believer is to work for the evangelization of the world. Healthy churches producing healthy disciples who are devoted to reaching lost people will hasten the completion of the Great Commission and the return of Jesus Christ.

  6. Without the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, we can accomplish nothing. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

    7. The Apostle Paul said, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4–5). Without the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, we can accomplish nothing. This is not only the fiber of our being as believers but also the sixth of our Alliance core values.

  7. Achieving God’s purposes means taking faith-filled risks. This always involves change.(Hebrews 11:6)

    8. For more than a century, Alliance workers have braved harsh and dangerous territory, at great personal risk, to take the good news of Jesus to a lost world. These workers experienced our seventh Core Value—Achieving God’s purposes means taking faith-filled risks. This always involves change. This always involves change. Because of the selfless dedication of Alliance workers who were willing to lay down their lives for the gospel, entire people groups now know Jesus.

Believing to Belonging

The Church Life of a Normal Christian: Purpose Drive Life chapter 17

  1. Following Christ includes belonging, not just believing.

  2. Being a member of the church meant being a vital organ of the Body of Christ.

  3. For the organs of your body to fulfill their purpose, they must be connected to your body.

  4. The first symptom of spiritual decline is the inconsistent attendance at worship services.

  5. The New Testament assumes membership in a local congregation.


  6. A Christian without a church home is like an organ without a body, a sheep without a flock, or a child without a family. It is unnatural.

  7. Many believe one can be a “good Christian” without joining (or even attending) a local church, but God strongly disagree.

  8. I can’t claim to be following Christ if I’m not committed to any specific group of disciples.

  9. The local church is the classroom for learning how to get along in God’s family. It is a lab for practicing unselfish, sympathetic love.

  10. Only in regular contact with imperfect believers can we learn real fellowship, connection and dependent on each other.


  11. Jesus laid down His life for us; we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 1 John 3:16

  12. We need more than the Bible in order to grow: we need other believers. We grow faster and stronger by learning from each other and being accountable to each other.

  13. Backsliding: if you know someone who is wavering spiritually right now, it is your responsibility to go after them and bring them back into the fellowship. James 5:19

  14. Attenders vs. Members: attenders are spectators; members are contributors. Attenders want the benefits of a church without sharing the responsibility.

  15. The Christian life is more than just commitment to Christ; it includes a commitment to other Christians. 2 Co 8:5


  16. You become a Christian by committing yourself to Christ, but you become a church member by committing yourself to a specific group of believers.