Values and beliefs
Core values
Gospel centered
Scripture is foundational, churches are instrumental, and the gospel is central. All of our work is focused on expanding God’s kingdom by encouraging people to have an active, growing relationship with Jesus.
Cooperative engagement
We want to come together with churches in a spirit of cooperation. We work side by side, arm in arm, tackling the toughest challenges. That means we focus on relationships, build trust, and communicate in a personal, casual style. We’re ready to dive in with you. Let’s work together.
Wise counsel
We help people make good decisions. We’ve been in the trenches and faced complex, overwhelming situations—and we’ve found a way through. We take the time to listen and understand, helping leaders process complex issues before offering helpful direction. We value practical experience, clear processes, and tested advice.
Humble servanthood
We’re ready to step in and help no matter what. We listen, care, and engage, offering our advice, counsel, and help graciously. We’re not here to take over—we’re here to serve. That means building relationships, respecting expertise, and working for your success.
Bold generosity
We offer incredible value and make the most of what we have. We’ve all been helped by tremendous blessings in our lives, so we go above and beyond in giving back. Whether it’s our time, energy, or budget, we want to be abundantly generous.
Affirmation of faith
Baptists have held that the Old and New Testaments are the inspired record of God’s revelation and thus are the final authority for faith and life. Therefore, we believe that manmade creeds and confessions should not be held as final expressions of faith. In light of this, we set forth the following affirmation of faith as a contemporary expression of beliefs held by churches of Converge North Central.
The Word of God
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
The Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.
God the Father
We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of all people, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to Earth.
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide.
Regeneration
We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
The Church
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.
Christian conduct
We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.
The ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Religious liberty
We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.
Church cooperation
We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether it is the conference or a district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowships on a voluntary independent basis.
The last things
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to Earth and the establishment of His Kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked.
Christian marriage
We believe that Christian marriage is a sacred institution ordained by God for the well-being and propagation of humankind. It is a covenant representing the spiritual and physical union into which one man and one woman may enter for the glory of God, symbolizing the relationship of Christ to his church. As the sign of this covenant, sexual activity is reserved exclusively for the marriage relationship. According to the scriptural ideal, marriage requires sacrificial love and faithfulness to each other for life.
Humanity
We believe God created humankind immutably as male and female to reflect and bear His image. As such, human beings of every ethnicity, age, and ability, as well as the preborn, deserve dignity, protection, honor, respect, and Christian love. Because of Adam and Eve’s free choice to sin, God’s image in all humankind has become distorted and relationship with God has become disrupted.
Further doctrinal statements
Learn about what we believe and the foundational truths that drive Converge and our ministries. Historical information can be found in Converge’s governing documents, policies, and resolutions on various topics.
