OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Mission
We are a grant-based organization that connects Western Christians with Christians in the Holy Lands, bearing witness to the way of Jesus by:
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Supporting church leaders
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Providing educational resources and pilgrimage opportunities
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Funding church- and community-based projects
Vision
We contribute to a Holy Land vibrant with Christians living in God’s peace who are united through Christ’s love and connected in transforming relationship with one another and with Christians in other parts of the world.
Core Values
We embody our witness to Christ’s gospel through these core values:
PARTNERSHIPS
Fostering mutual support and collaboration rooted in the shared mission of proclaiming and embodying Christ’s good news
HOSPITALITY
Extending and receiving welcome and belonging in the name of Christ, reflecting God’s hospitality
DIALOGUE
Engaging in open, Christ-centered conversations that involve the comprehensive narratives of stakeholders
DIGNITY
Upholding the God-given worth and holistic well-being of our neighbors in the Holy Lands
PEACE-MAKING
Pursuing pathways and practices that embody God’s peace in Christ
Faith
While there is no single Statement of Faith for the thousands of Independent Christian Churches around the world, an early expression of the movement is still used by many:
Where the Scriptures speak, we speak;
and where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent.
In essentials unity, in opinions liberty,
and in all things love.
No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible,
no plea but the gospel, and no name but the divine.
Basic tenets of the Faith that would be common among these churches (and which CHLF embraces) include:
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The unity of Believers.
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The authority of the Scriptures.
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The deity and physical resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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The Triune God-- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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Salvation is a gift from God through His Son, Jesus; not through works.
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Complete obedience includes submission to the Father through baptism by immersion.
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Confidence in the return of the Son, and of an eternity with our heavenly Father.
