Visions & Beliefs

We belong to the The Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA).
The EFCA is an association of autonomous churches united around these theological convictions:

STATEMENT OF FAITH

  • 1. We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.

  • 2. We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

  • 3. We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.

  • 4. We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel's promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

  • 5. We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.

  • 6. We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.

  • 7. We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God's grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.

  • 8. We believe that God's justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

  • 9. We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

  • 10. We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.

We hold to the EFCA Statement of Faith. In addition we affirm the creeds (Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed) and Lausanne Covenant.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

  • I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

    I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
    born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
    was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.

    On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven,
    he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
    and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

    I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
    the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
    the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

    Amen.

  • I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

    And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

    Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

    I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spake by the prophets.

    I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
    I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

    Amen.

OUR VALUES

  • After praying for his disciples, Jesus prayed for us (the church) in John 17:20-23. He prayed that we would be one, or “perfected in unity.” Our diverse ethnicities representing many Nations and language groups would demonstrate to all mankind that He is, indeed, the Messiah who alone brings peace and salvation to the world.

  • Churches must bring families together not divide them. God promises blessings to thousands of generations to those who worship Him (Exodus 20:6). We seek to continue this pattern as we reach out within the generations from infants to grandparents within our families. In this regard we value our elders who have served well and we want to bless this generation.

  • Our burden is to reach the unchurched and nonbelievers. There are many nonbelievers because they do not have a relationship with Jesus. There are many unchurched because they do not have a relationship with God's people. We make it our priority to welcome these groups to make Edge City Church their spiritual home. 

  • This is Jesus' design for the church. Jesus’ completed work was to train and produce disciples (John 17:4). Therefore the work of Edge City Church is to train disciples, who in turn will make more disciples following Jesus' master plan for the church. Disciple making is not an option—this is our main work.

  • We don't just have prayer meetings, but prayer is one of the major pillars that undergird the church at Edge City Church. In our diverse congregation we have many styles of prayer as there are diverse methods of prayer, ranging from liturgical structure to free form presence of God, and anything in between. Ultimately our vision for prayer is to have a 24 hour, 365 day prayer center to undergird the work of God for NYC and Long Island.