HAVEN MISSIONS STATEMENT OF FAITH 

We, the members of Haven Missions-board of directors, staff, volunteers, and members-join together to affirm a Statement of Faith rooted in the following beliefs and our central purpose: empowering a generation to find safety in Christ, glorifying God through service, discipleship, and community outreach, and equipping people to live according to the truth of God’s Word.

THE BIBLE

The scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the unchangeable Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and contain every answer to humanity’s problems.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

SALVATION

God made man and woman in His image to be fruitful, multiply, and have dominion on the earth through faithful fellowship with Him. Because of Adam’s disobedience, death entered the world through sin. However, through the free gift of salvation, anyone who confesses with their mouth and believes in their heart that Jesus is Lord is justified by grace through faith. This work of reconciliation provides the only way to access a personal relationship with God. By admitting we have sinned, believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and accepting Him as Lord, we can have eternal life.
(Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5; Romans 10:9-10; Romans 3:24)

GOD

There is one God, the holy Creator of all things, perfect in love and righteousness. He exists eternally in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
(John 10:30; John 14:26; Philippians 2:5-7)

Father: God the Father is the Creator who made all things and for whom all things exist. Because of His love, He gave His Son to die so we would have access to eternal life. He has given believers the power to become His children through the Spirit of adoption into sonship.
(1 Corinthians 8:6; John 3:16; Romans 8:15)

Son: God the Son is the Word made flesh, revealing the glory and grace of God to the world. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus, the Son of God, demonstrated divine love and fulfilled divine justice, removing our guilt and reconciling us to God. He now reigns bodily in heaven, making intercession for us at the right hand of the Father as our great High Priest.
(John 1:14-16; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 4:14-16)

Holy Spirit: God the Holy Spirit indwells believers, providing sanctifying power and grace to transform them into the likeness of Christ. Through the proclamation of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit renews our hearts, persuading us to repent of our sins and confess Jesus as Lord. By the same Spirit, we are empowered with fruit and gifts that equip us for every good work He has called us to. The Holy Spirit is our teacher, intercessor, helper, guide, comforter, and the seal of our inheritance in Christ.
(1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 John 4:12-13; Ephesians 1:13-14; Matthew 5:16; Romans 10:17; John 14:15-17)

BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a gift from God. He empowers the believer to develop the character of Christ and to live each day in God’s will.
(Matthew 3:11; Acts 2:4)

GENDER ROLES AND MARRIAGE

Marriage is an institution created by God as a covenant relationship established by mutual vows exchanged exclusively between one man and one woman. We believe God intends for sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other, and we love everyone regardless of their sexual orientation.
(Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:18-24; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 18-20; 1 Corinthians 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4; Romans 1:18-32; Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13)

LOVE

God is love, and He loves all people. It is His desire to reach out to those who are poor, oppressed, widowed, or orphaned, and to heal the brokenhearted.
(Psalm 68:5-6; 1 John 4:16)

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

God gives all believers spiritual gifts for the strengthening of His people (the Church) and as proof of His existence and power to unbelievers. The gifts of the Spirit are active and relevant today.
(1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 1 Peter 4:10)

HEALING

Divine healing is active in the lives of people today through Jesus, who is the Healer. Healing includes physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual restoration.
(Luke 9:11; Matthew 9:35; Acts 10:38; Matthew 10:1)

WATER BAPTISM

We believe in water baptism, as taught and demonstrated by Jesus, as the way for believers to identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
(Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:4; Matthew 3:13-17)

THE CHURCH

The Church was created to be a community of love, an outflow of the eternal love Christ used to save and redeem the world. It was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone, establishing one holy, apostolic, worldwide body of believers from every nation, tribe, and tongue. Christ is the head of the Church, for whom He died to sanctify her by the Word of God, making her holy unto God.
(Ephesians 2:20-22, 27; Revelation 7:9)

CHRIST'S RETURN

God’s redemptive purpose will be fulfilled by the return of Christ to raise the dead, judge all people, and establish His glorious kingdom. Those who are apart from Christ shall be eternally separated from God’s presence in hell-a place of suffering and permanent separation from God for those who die without accepting Christ. God’s desire is that no one be separated from Him for eternity, which is why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, so those who are redeemed can live and reign with Him forever.
(Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Hebrews 9:27-28; Revelation 20:12-15; John 3:16-18)