We (Spiritual Heritage Committee) are seeking to provide as many opportunities for discussion as possible. One of the important places for discussion of the Second Draft Revision of the EFCA SOF is the district at the annual (or semi-annual) conference. A member or members of the Spiritual Heritage Committee will be at each of these district gatherings to be a part of the presentation, the dialogue and the discussion. (The exception will be Hawaii, but we will carry on the discussion through the phone in a conference call.) We have already been a part of five district conferences (EFCA Texas Oklahoma, Southeastern Central, Northern Plains, Midwest and Southeastern), and have greatly appreciated the opportunity to be a part of these important discussions at this level.

We encourage you to attend the district conference (if able) in your area. The discussion has been helpful, insightful, encouraging, informational, educational, etc. All who have been a part of the discussions have learned and grown. The reason we can carry on these discussions is because we are the people of one Book, the Bible, and we are always seeking to order our beliefs and behavior to it.

Here are the dates of the district conferences, and we would love to see you at one of them. (If you need more information about these conferences, please contact the district office: http://www.efca.org/districts/

I am finally able to get back to the blog. I am sorry for my absence as far as responding to comments goes. But I want to reassure you that I have read all of them (as I have to approve them before posting them). And let me also say thank you to those of you who have posted. We are interested in reading your comments, suggestions, recommendations, affirmations, etc.

Part of the purpose of the blog is for dialogue, which means that not only will I comment in response to individual posts, but that there will also be dialogue between those who post. This is happening, which means we are accomplishing part of what we had hoped with this blog. I also want to encourage you to continue the dialogue, not only with me, but also with others who post.

As a reminder, I will not be able to respond to all of the comments but I will read them. Those I believe are important to pursue in a more extended form, or those a wider readership ought to know will be addressed in an entry rather than a comment. This is what I will do with the comments we have received thus far.

What is this?

"The Statement of Faith Revision - Our Unity in God’s Gospel" is a unique blog in that the focus group is primarily limited to the EFCA and the topic is the revision of our Statement of Faith. It is considered the “unofficial official” blog addressing the Statement of Faith. Although I will be overseeing the blog, I will bring in the other members of the Spiritual Heritage Committee for interaction as well. The SHC desires to hear from the people in the EFCA, so we are using as many means of communication as possible. We believe this will provide a great opportunity for dialogue and discussion to aid in this important process.

About the Author

Greg Strand has been the EFCA's Director of Biblical Theology and Credentialing since 2002. He holds a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in New Testament from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and is currently working on a Ph. D. from Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Heverlee, Belgium. He and his wife, Karen, have been married for 21 years and have three children, Michael (17), Elyssa (14), and Anna (8).

Greg has served in pastoral ministry in the Evangelical Free Church of America since 1989, first as an associate pastor of adult ministries, and than as a senior pastor. Since 1995, he has served on the Board of Ministerial Standing and as the Dean of the annual EFCA Series of Theological Discussions. At present he serves as the Chair of the Spiritual Heritage Committee. He is passionate about God-glorifying, Christ-exalting, Spirit-empowered ministry rooted in the Word.

Comments and Guidelines

We desire honest, open communication through the comments written in this blog. To help foster a healthy conversation, here are some general reminders as we carry on this biblical and theological discussion:

1. God sees and knows all (Ps. 139). We are to glorify Him in all we do and say (1 Cor. 10:31).
2. We confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and thus we live under His authority, and we seek to please and honor Him in what we do and say (Phil. 2:9-11). By confessing “Christ is Lord,” we have given up all of our rights to Him, our Lord (Gal. 2:20; 2 Cor. 5:14-15).
3. As those who confess the name of Christ, we are brothers and sisters (Jn. 15:15; 1 Cor. 1:2; Heb. 2:11). This is a family discussion.
4. Our character ought to be reflective of the truth we speak and defend. It is important to remember that the mouth speaks what is in the heart, words for which we will be accountable (Matt. 12:34-37).
5. We are committed both to doctrinal purity and Christian unity (cf. Eph.); but we are not given to purity at the expense of unity (sectarianism), or unity at the expense of purity (liberalism).
6. We must understand the difference between first-order doctrine and second-order doctrine (e.g. Acts 15:36-41; 1 Cor. 15:1-5; Gal. 1:6-9).

It is also important to remember the following specifics as we carry on a dialogue with one another:

1. Speak (write) the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). Speak (Write) to your position passionately, but do so lovingly.
2. Think before you speak (write) (1 Cor. 14:20).
3. Make sure what you say (write) is accurate; get your facts straight (Eph. 4:25).
4. Focus on the issue when making statements, comments or suggestions, not on people (Tit. 2:7-8).
5. Be quick to hear, listen respectfully and attentively (Jms. 1:19); speak (write) and engage in discussion with humility (Phil. 2:3-5).
6. Give preference or honor to the other above yourself (Rom. 12:10).
7. Do not impugn the motive(s) of others (1 Cor. 4:5).
8. Do not allow yourself to be angry with a brother or sister (Matt. 5:21-22; Eph. 4:31).
9. Do not create personal loyalty tests (1 Cor. 1:10-13), or attempt to make your point or defend your position through manipulation (cf. Matt. 5:37).
10. If you have offended another, apologize and be reconciled (Eph. 4:3, 26-27).
11. If you have been offended by another, communicate that and seek reconciliation (Matt. 18:15; Eph. 4:32).

With these biblical truths as our framework, we will post most comments we receive. We do, however, reserve the right to edit comments that have compromised biblical truth or Christian character. Our desire is to foster appropriate God-honoring dialogue.

Disclaimer

Many articles on this blog will be “works in process” and are not official EFCA positions. Moreover, since I am providing the oversight to the blog, what I say may not officially represent the views of the SHC. This is one of the beauties of a blog dialogue, but also one of the limitations. When a stated position is officially endorsed by the SHC or the EFCA, I will note it.