Basis of Faith

(adapted from the Evangelical Alliance)

We believe in...

The one true God who lives eternally in three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world.
The divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God – fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.
The dignity of all people, made male and female in God’s image to love, be holy and care for creation, yet corrupted by sin, which incurs divine wrath and judgement.
The incarnation of God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ – born of the virgin Mary; truly divine and truly human, yet without sin.
The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God.
The bodily resurrection of Christ, the first fruits of our resurrection; his ascension to the Father, and his reign and mediation as the only Saviour of the world.
The justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ.
The ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness.
The church, the body of Christ both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers — given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit’s gifts to worship God and proclaim the gospel, promoting justice and love.
The personal and visible return of Jesus Christ to fulfil the purposes of God, who will raise all people to judgement, bring eternal life to the redeemed and eternal condemnation to the lost, and establish a new heaven and new earth.

Basis of cooperation

Autonomy and respect

Global Connections is a network and consequently each network member is a separate charity and so completely autonomous. The network is a diverse community, and we acknowledge that there will be differences over issues which are not essential to salvation. Such autonomy and diversity therefore needs to be respected and honoured.
It is expected therefore that network members shall not be the subject of public criticism or censure by others in the network because of any other associations, national or international, in which they are involved. Such relationships shall be deemed the private concern of each member. In particular, it is expected that personal hostility and abuse will be absent from the network, with truth spoken in love and gentleness.
We owe it to each other not to make public comment on the alleged behaviour or statements of others and to first confer directly with them to establish what was actually intended. We should seek to commend what we can, to weigh the proportional significance of what we perceive to be in error, and to put a charitable construction on what is doubtful, expressing all with courtesy, humility, and graciousness. If after this network members have concerns about any other network member, this should be passed on to the Global Connections Board.

Responsibilities

It is hoped that network members will participate actively in the network. It is our experience that those who participate actively receive the most in return.
Network members commit themselves to paying the appropriate annual fee at the earliest opportunity to further the administration of the network office.

Values and ethics

In all activities, network members should be characterised by honesty and integrity. Network members should conduct their work in harmony with Christian principles and high ethical standards, ensuring they recognise the laws of countries in which they work.
The way that each network member is governed and managed should be made clear and publicly available via their website and public documents.
Network members are expected to maintain high standards of integrity in the areas such as publicity, fundraising and finances, so that the cause of world mission is commended.

Avoiding duplication and competition

We rejoice in the spread of the good news across the world. It is expected that network members commit themselves to this task in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration.
Wherever possible, network members should foster consultation and cooperation with others in related areas of work and seek to avoid unnecessary competition.
In direct approaches to churches, trusts and individuals, agencies should show respect for their existing commitments to others.