Our Beliefs

To Know & Love God  -

To Know & Love People
To Bring the Two Together Through Jesus Christ

We share a core set of values and beliefs that are rooted in our denomination. 

OUR DENOMINATION

ECO is a Presbyterian denomination that exists to serve the local church, and seeks to nurture leaders and connect congregations so as to reclaim a sense of covenanted biblical community within the denomination.

The name ECO is not an acronym. ECO is committed to cultivating a healthy, diverse, resource-rich ecosystem where pastors and congregations can flourish.

More about ECO

The name ECO is not an acronym, the full name: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterian speaks to its core commitments:

Covenant: Connecting leaders in accountable relationships and encouraging collaboration. Ministering out of God’s unrelenting grace and covenant with His people.

Order: Uniting around a shared theological core; Committing to a shared way of life. Nurturing gospel-centered leaders.

Evangelical: Advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ; Planting new missional communities. Serving our communities and God’s world in Jesus’ name.

Presbyterian: Standing within our Reformed and confessional heritage. Affirming the life of the mind. Embracing the value of representative government.

Our values are critical to who we are and how we minister to people. These values are not only ours, but they are shared by our denomination, ECO.

ECO Values

Our Beliefs

The Bible: The Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, it is inspired and inerrant. 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26

Trinity: There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and co-eternal. 1 John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11

Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He was born of a virgin, performed miracles, died on the cross for mankind, and thus atoned for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory. John 1:1,14, 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; 1 Timothy 2:5

Redemption: God created humanity good and upright, but by voluntary transgression we fell; our only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Genesis 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21

Regeneration (New Birth): For anyone to know God, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. John 6:44, 65; Matthew 19:28; Titus 3:5

Salvation: The shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross is the free gift of God’s grace and is the sole basis for the forgiveness of sins and salvation. Salvation cannot be secured by the good deed or personal merits of man. Salvation is only obtained when an individual places his faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.  Repentance is turning toward God and away from sin. Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; John 1:12; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22

Repentance: Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption and to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Thus, through repentance we receive forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation. Acts 2:21, 3:19; 1 John 1:9

Sanctification: Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ’s character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life. 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, Romans 8:29, 12:1-2, Hebrews 2:11

Jesus Christ Indwells All Believers: Christians are people who have invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come and live inside them by His Holy Spirit. They relinquish the authority of their lives over to Him thus making Jesus the Lord of their life as well as Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus accomplished for them when He died, was buried, and rose again from the dead. John 1:12; John 14:17, 23; John 15:4; Romans 8:11; Revelation 3:20

The Church: The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, created for community, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus’ Great Commission. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the Church as a member of the body of believers. Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, enhance the interdependent nature of our connection in the Church and confirm the power of the Gospel. The Bible’s lists of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives.  These gifts are to be expressed in harmony with the Scriptures. Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12 :4-8; Ephesians 4:16; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6-7;1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; 1 Peter 4:10

Sacraments:
Water Baptism: Following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the new convert is commanded by the Word of God to be baptized in water in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47-48
The Lord’s Supper: A unique time of communion in the presence of God when the elements of bread and grape juice (the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25

Salvation:
HeavenHeaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John 17:24; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 11:16; 1 Peter 1:4
HellAfter living one life on earth, the unbelievers will be judged by God and sent to Hell where they will be eternally tormented with the Devil and the Fallen Angels. Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8

Second Coming: Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures. Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7