TEACHERS AND MENTORS

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Jamie Franke

Director of Midwest Ministry Training

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Jason Cole

Ministry in the Local Church

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Daniel Nichols

Eternity to Eternity 1 & 2, Living Wisely

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Terry Peer

Systematic Theology 1 & 2

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David Sowers

Interpreting the Bible 1 & 2

STATEMENT OF FAITH

The following statement of faith is foundational in Midwest Ministry Training. All teachers, mentors, and administrators must affirm, teach, and be ready to defend the following Biblical doctrines. All students who receive the Certificate of Endorsement of Preaching Ministry or Associate Ministry must demonstrate adherence to this statement of faith in order to be endorsed.

  1. There is one living God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God alone is to be honored and worshipped by all (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 4:10; 28:19).
  2. God created the universe ex nihilo in six days and rested on the seventh day (Genesis 1:1-2:3; Exodus 20:11; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). In the course of His work of creation, God created man in His image. This gave sanctity to human life and endowed mankind with value and dignity (Genesis 1:26-27; 9:6; James 3:9-10).
  3. All Scripture is God-breathed and is therefore the very words of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). It is without error as originally given in everything it says (Psalm 12:6; John 10:35; 17:17). It is the final authority for all matters of faith and practice (Psalm 119:105; Matthew 4:4, 7, 10; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
  4. All people have sinned (Romans 3:23; 5:12). Sin causes us to be both guilty before God and corrupted in our nature (Romans 3:9; Ephesians 2:1-3). Once a person comes to have knowledge of God’s law (i.e., reaches the age of accountability), he/she stands condemned before God because of his/her personal sin (Romans 4:15; 7:9) and in need of salvation.
  5. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and He is Lord (Matthew 16:16; Romans 10:9). As such, He is the only way of salvation from sins (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Jesus, as God in the flesh, died on a cross for the sins of the entire world. His body was placed in a tomb for three days, after which He physically arose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Jesus had and has both a fully human and fully divine nature (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35; 1 Corinthians 15:20; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 John 3:2).
  6. Salvation is by grace, as the very foundation of forgiveness…God gives us what we do not deserve and can never earn (Romans 3:21-26; Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation is through faith in the finished work of Christ as the means by which we accept God’s gift of forgiveness (John 3:16; Acts 3:19; 5:31; Romans 3:22, 26, 30; 4:16). Faith includes both a belief that Jesus is Savior and Lord as well as a personal trust in Him to save us (Romans 10:9-11; Galatians 2:20). Faith in Jesus as Lord also includes a willingness to confess Him as such before others (Matthew 16:16; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Timothy 6:12). Repentance, a change of mind and heart in turning away from sin and toward Jesus as Lord, is essential as well (Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 2:38; 3:19-20). Salvation takes place in baptism/immersion as the occasion or point at which we come into relationship with God through the work of the Holy Spirit who from that time on indwells us (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:4-7; Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:12; Titus 3:5). Salvation is for the purpose of good works; the fruit, not the root of our salvation (Ephesians 2:10).
  7. Jesus Christ is the head of the church and its ultimate authority. The church is the body of Christ and should strive for unity so that the world may be won to Christ (John 17:20-24; 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27; Ephesians 2:19-22; 5:23; Colossians 1:18).
  8. Marriage is between one man and one woman for life (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6). Sexual union is only to take place within marriage. All sexual union outside of the marriage relationship is personally destructive and forbidden by God (Romans 1:24-27; 1 Corinthians 6:16-18).
  9. God created male and female. Gender is the result of divine creation and birth. It cannot be altered and is not a personal preference we exercise at will (Genesis 1:27).
  10. Male and female are both created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). The two are created differently so that together the husband and wife are compatible and complementary (Genesis 2:28-25). God has assigned specific roles to both in the family and in the church. By God’s design, leadership falls to the male in the church and in the home. This means, among other things, that preaching is a role restricted to men (1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:22-33; Colossians 3:18-19; 1 Timothy 2:8-15).
  11. The primary mandate of the church is to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16) and thus make the Lord’s name known throughout the world, bringing glory to Him (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14; Colossians 1:27; Revelation 1:5b-6).
  12. The literal physical return of Jesus Christ is the great hope of the church. After His return, all people will stand before God in judgment. The saved will inherit eternal life. The lost will be sentenced to eternal punishment in Hell (Matthew 25:31-46; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; Revelation 20:11-21:8).