1. As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we bear witness to the one living God, revealed through the Bible as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

2. We bear witness to the following truths of the historic Christian faith as the pillars of our world- view, the motivation for our mission and the foundation for our commitment:

1. The Bible as the written Word of God.
   The Bible tells the universal story of creation, fall, redemption and new creation, and thereby shapes our worldview. We receive it as the word of God spoken through human authors and believe it to be true and trustworthy in all it affirms. We depend upon it as the revelation of God’s identity, character, purposes and actions and submit to it as supremely and uniquely authoritative for our belief and behaviour.
2. God as Creator. The universe is the good creation of the one living God and reveals God’s existence, power and glory.
3. Human beings are created in the image of God, male and female, in order to love, worship and obey God, to relate to one another in love, justice and compassion, and to care for creation.
4. Human sin. Humans have sinned by rebelling against God, rejecting God’s authority and disobeying God’s word and so are alienated from God, one another and the created order.
5. Sin deserves God’s judgment and leads to eternal separation from God. The effects of sin and the power of evil have permeated the fabric of cultural, economic, social, political and religious life, causing poverty, suffering and damage to the creation.
6. Human worth. Though distorted by sin, the image of God remains the basis of the uniqueness, dignity, sanctity and equality of all persons without distinction. God loves and cares for all people in their cultural, social and ethnic diversity and has reached out in grace to save them through Jesus Christ.
7. Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, the Messiah uniquely appointed by God to bring the blessing of salvation to the world.
8. God took our human nature in Jesus Christ, who taught and modelled the new life of the kingdom of God to which he calls his disciples.
9. In his death on the cross he took upon himself the sin of the world, bearing its full cost and penalty so that we can be put right with God through his grace by faith in Christ alone. On the cross Jesus also entered into our suffering, defeated the powers of evil and accomplished the reconciliation of all creation.
10. In his bodily resurrection he defeated death and became the forerunner of redeemed humanity.
11. Through his ascension he is exalted as reigning Lord, and
12. at his return he will execute God’s judgment, destroy Satan, evil and death, and establish the universal reign of God.
13. God the Holy Spirit. The Bible testifies to the Holy Spirit’s activity both in creation and history, empowering action for liberation and justice. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin and judgment, leads to faith and repentance and unites believers to Christ, making real in them what Jesus has accomplished.
14. The church and God’s mission. The church stands in continuity with God’s people in the Old Testament, to be a community of holiness, compassion and justice. The church exists to worship and glorify God for all eternity and is commissioned by Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit to participate in the transforming mission of God within history.

3. We believe that God’s plan for the universe is to bring about, through Jesus Christ, a transformed creation wholly governed by God, from which all evil and suffering will be banished and in which God will live with redeemed humanity for ever. The presence and hope of the kingdom of God shape and motivate our mission through evangelism, compassionate service, active pursuit of justice and peace, and care for creation.

Adapted from the TEAR Fund Statement of Faith. Accessed on 18 August 2020 from:
https://www.tearfund.org/about_you/jobs/tearfund_statement_of_faith/