We believe in the one eternal God, Creator and Lord of the world, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who governs all things according to the purpose of His will. His timeless purpose has been calling out from the world a people for himself and sending His people back into the world to be His servants and His witnesses, for the extension of His kingdom, the building up of Christ’s body, and the glory of His name. We confess with shame that we have often denied our calling and failed in our mission by becoming conformed to the world or by withdrawing from it. Yet we rejoice that the gospel is still a precious treasure even when borne by earthen vessels. To the task of making that treasure known in the power of the Holy Spirit, we desire to dedicate ourselves anew.

We affirm that God is the Creator and the Judge of all men. We, therefore, should share His concern for justice and reconciliation throughout human society and the liberation of men and women from every kind of oppression. Because men and women are made in the image of God, every person, regardless of race, religion, colour, culture, class, sex, or age, has an intrinsic dignity because of which he or she should be respected and served, not exploited. Here too, we express penitence both for our neglect and for having sometimes regarded evangelism and social concern as mutually exclusive. Although reconciliation with other people is not reconciliation with God, social action evangelism, or political liberation salvation, we affirm that evangelism and socio-political involvement are both parts of our Christian duty. Both are necessary expressions of our doctrines of God and Man, our love for our neighbour, and our obedience to Jesus Christ. The message of salvation also implies judgment upon every form of alienation, oppression, and discrimination. We should not be afraid to denounce evil and injustice wherever they exist. When people receive Christ, they are born again into His kingdom and must seek to exhibit and spread its righteousness amid an unrighteous world. The salvation we claim should be transforming us in the totality of our personal and social responsibilities. Faith without works is dead.

We affirm that God's purpose is the Church’s visible unity in truth. Evangelism also summons us to unity because our oneness strengthens our witness, just as our disunity undermines our gospel of reconciliation. We recognize, however, that organizational unity may take many forms and does not necessarily advance evangelism. Yet we who share the same biblical faith should be closely united in fellowship, work, and witness. We confess that sinful individualism and needless duplication have sometimes marred our testimony. We pledge to seek a deeper unity in truth, worship, holiness, and mission. We urge the development of regional and functional cooperation to further the Church’s mission, strategic planning, mutual encouragement, and the sharing of resources and experience. (John 17:21,23; Ephesians 4:3,4; John 13:35; Philippians 1:27; John 17:11-23)

More than 2.7billion people, more than two-thirds of all humanity, have yet to be evangelized. We are ashamed that so many have been neglected; it is a standing rebuke to the whole Church and us. However, there is now an unprecedented receptivity to the Lord Jesus Christ in many parts of the world. We are convinced that this is the time for churches and para-church agencies to pray earnestly for the salvation of the unreached and to launch new efforts to achieve world evangelization. Our goal is that, by all available means and at the earliest possible time, that every person will have the opportunity to hear, understand, and receive the good news. We cannot hope to attain this goal without sacrifice. All of us are shocked by the poverty of millions and disturbed by the injustices which cause it. Those who live in affluent circumstances accept our duty to develop a simple lifestyle and contribute generously to relief and evangelism.

We confess that we have sometimes pursued church growth at the expense of church depth and divorced evangelism from Christian nurture. We also acknowledge that some of our missions must be faster to equip and encourage national leaders to assume their rightful responsibilities. Yet we are committed to indigenous principles and long that every church will have national leaders who manifest a Christian leadership style in terms not of domination but of service. We recognize a great need to improve theological education, especially for church leaders. Every nation and culture should have an effective training program for pastors and laity in doctrine, discipleship, evangelism, nurture, and service. Such training programs should not rely on stereotyped methodology but should be developed by local creative initiatives according to biblical standards.

Every government's God-appointed duty is to secure peace, justice, and liberty conditions in which the Church may obey God, serve the Lord Jesus Christ, and preach the gospel without interference. Therefore, we pray for the leaders of nations and call upon them to guarantee freedom of thought and conscience and to practice and propagate religion by the will of God and as set out in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We also express our deep concern for all unjustly imprisoned, especially those suffering for their testimony to the Lord Jesus. We promise to pray and work for their freedom. At the same time, we refuse to be intimidated by their fate. God helping us, we will also seek to stand against injustice and remain faithful to the gospel, whatever the cost. We remember the warnings of Jesus that persecution is inevitable.

We believe Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly, in power and glory, to consummate His salvation and judgment. This promise of His coming is a further spur to our evangelism, for we remember His words that the gospel must first be preached to all nations. We believe that the interim period between Christ’s ascension and return is filled with the mission of the people of God, who have no liberty to stop before the end. We also remember His warning that false Christs and prophets will arise as precursors of the final Antichrist. We, therefore, reject as a proud, self-confident dream the notion that people can ever build a utopia on earth. Our Christian confidence is that God will perfect His kingdom, and we look forward with eager anticipation to that day and the new heaven and earth in which righteousness will dwell, and God will reign forever. Meanwhile, we rededicate ourselves to the service of Christ and people in joyful submission to His authority over our lives.