Statement of Faith
The Statement of Faith for Shepherd’s Door
God
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.
The Bible
We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
The Human Condition
We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled, and renewed.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus-Israel’s promised Messiah-was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.
The Work of Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
The Church
We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head.
Christian Living
We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.
Christ’s Return
We believe in the personal, bodily, and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service, and energetic mission.
Eternal Destiny
We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.
Statement of Marriage and Human Sexuality
Foundational Beliefs & Requirements
Scripture, our ultimate authority, sets forth a Christian vision of human sexuality as a gift of God. Since the beginning of creation, God has revealed His intention for human identity, sexual identity, and sexual intimacy. The goodness and beauty of God’s created order is affirmed by Jesus Christ and is foundational for the biblical view of human sexuality (Genesis 1:31; Matthew 19:4-5; Mark 10:6; Romans 1:26-17). God created humanity in His image as male and female, thus giving all humanity value, dignity, and eternal significance (Genesis 1:26-27; 5:1-3; 9:6; James 3:9). The distinction God created between male and female is the foundation for all subsequent human life and is reflected in a person’s biological birth sex. Embracing one’s birth sex honors this distinction as designed by God. However, misrepresenting one’s birth sex violates God’s generous intention for human identity and relationships.
We believe that marriage between a man and a woman reflects the relationship between Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5: 22-32). We believe the term ‘marriage’ has only one meaning – marriage sanctioned by God joins one biological man and one biological woman in a single, exclusive union and covenant (Genesis 2:15-25; Matthew 19:4-6). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged outside of a marriage between a man and a woman (Hebrews 13:4).
We believe that any form of sexually immoral conduct, such as adultery, fornication, homosexual or bisexual behavior, bestiality, incest, or pornography, is sinful and offensive to God (Romans 1:18-32). We fully acknowledge that every human being struggles to some extent with issues related to human sexuality because of the fall of humanity into sin. We also affirm that the grace and love of God in Christ extends to every human being without exception. We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11). We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity because they are made in the image of God (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31).
We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of The Church and to provide a biblical role model to the members of The Church and our local communities, it is imperative that only marriages that fit this biblical definition may be a beneficiary of a retreat by Shepherd’s Door.
All persons who represent Shepherd’s Door in any staff, leadership or lay leadership capacity shall agree and abide by this Statement of Faith and Statement on Marriage and Human Sexuality (Matthew 5:16, Philippians 2:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 5:22).