Foundational Convictions
The causes of poverty are complex. More complex than most would like to admit.
Cornerstone defines poverty by the brokenness people experience in key relationships with God, self, others, and the world. Therefore, our poverty alleviation initiatives are rooted and grounded in relational approaches.
Lasting transformation is God’s work. He invites our participation into that work.
The participants we are privileged to walk with are “image-bearers” of God and they are worthy of our time, attention, and resourcing.
Cornerstone is not a church; we partner with and serve the Church. We endeavor to direct our participants to local church engagement.
Statement of Faith
We believe in God.
We believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. Who exists in three distinct persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each person of the Trinity is equally the one God in being, essence, character, power and eternal qualities.
We believe in Jesus.
We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the perfect revelation of who God is. Jesus Christ is the “image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15), “the exact imprint of His nature” (Heb. 1:3) and a perfect reflection of God the Father (John 5:19).
We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior who came to earth in the flesh to reveal God to humans and to restore all of fallen humanity to a personal relationship with God. We believe Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary; He is both fully human and fully God. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life and embodies the truth about God and the Truth of God. Jesus willingly died on the cross to demonstrate God’s love for sinful humans and to provide salvation for all humanity. His sacrifice in our place provides all humans the means to be reconnected with their loving Creator. We believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Jesus ascended into heaven, where He rules as our Lord (absolute authority) and advocate. Jesus will return to earth in the future to establish God’s perfect peace and justice for all time.
We believe in the Holy Spirit.
We believe in the divine personhood of the Holy Spirit as an equal part of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence, living within each follower to empower a life that reflects the lifestyle, values and character of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the change agent in the lives of Jesus’ followers, illuminating God’s word for understanding and application in the life of each. The Spirit is involved in progressively transforming each follower into the image of Christ, and is actively working within the Christian community and world at large to bring about God’s plan of redemption for all people and all creation.
We believe in the Bible.
We believe the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments are the inspired word of God. (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We believe the Holy Spirit guided and directed human authors to record God’s word to and for us for the purpose of revealing His love and His will to be in relationship with all of humanity. The Bible is our ultimate instructive source for Christian faith and practice.
We believe in the Church.
We believe the Church is God’s plan “A” for the world. The church is a spiritual organism made up of all those in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, who are called to live within an encouraging fellowship of worship, Christian growth, and service. We believe everyone in relationship with Christ is gifted, empowered, and called to serve in God’s mission to reach the world with the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Church is God’s vehicle on earth to bring about justice and mercy for all people.
We believe in Humanity.
We believe that all humanity is created in the image of God and possesses intrinsic dignity and worth.
God made humanity—male and female—in His own image (Gen. 1:27-30). Set apart as His image bearers, every human being is sacred. All men and all women, bearing the image of God, are meant to represent God in His creation (1 Cor. 10:31). God declares the created order to be very good, distinguishing men and women as His agents to care for, manage, and govern over it. Humans enjoy access to God by faith in Christ Jesus and are called to move beyond passive self-indulgence to properly steward their lives for significant private and public engagement in family, church, and community.