Sunrise International Ministries Statement of Faith and Core Values

Statement of Faith

  1. There is one true God existing in three persons -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  2. God is a loving Father who loves all people and desires to give good gifts to his children.
  3. Jesus is the eternal Son of God, but became a man and lived as a human being on the earth. He came to reveal the Father to people.
  4. The Holy Spirit lives in everyone who genuinely believes in Christ. He empowers believers to live righteously and to do the works of Jesus.
  5. Jesus died for the sins of mankind, was buried and rose on the third day according to the Scriptures. All people are lost in sin and face eternal judgment. Salvation is found in Christ alone. Salvation is a gift of God by grace through faith. Salvation is not by works. However, people who have genuine faith strive to obey Jesus as Lord.
  6. The Bible is the inspired word of God and is the standard for faith and practice. God has spoken and still speaks to his people through his word. The Bible is authoritative and is to be obeyed over human reasoning, human traditions and human customs.
  7. Jesus will return to the earth and will judge the living and the dead.
  8. The Church is the Body of Christ and is made up of all true believers in him. He expresses his love and life through his people who live in relationship with him and with one another.
  9. True Christians live lives of love.
  10. The Church is commanded to go into the whole world and make disciples of all nations.

Core Values

Love Relationship with God.

Living in love relationship with God is our highest priority. Everything flows out of our love relationship with Him.

Love relationship with each other.

God created us to live in community. Church is a community of people who genuinely love God and love one another.

Loving non-believers.

Loving non-believers involves building relationships with them and serving them. Most people come to Christ through relationships.

The Centrality of Christ.

Jesus is the center of everything. Our goal is to live in Christ and to present everyone perfect in Christ.

Church.

Church is the Body of Christ, the dwelling place of God. Jesus reveals his life and love through his Body. Every member must be connected to the Head and obey his instructions. Then we can grow to maturity as we build each other up in love.

Make Disciples.

Jesus commanded us to make disciples. His plan to reach the world is through multiplying disciples. A disciple is a person who follows Jesus day by day and who is becoming like Jesus.

Faith.

Without faith it is impossible to please God. We want to have a spirit of faith that believes God to do great things according to his will.

Radical Obedience.

True followers of Jesus radically obey his commands. If we obey Jesus we will be like the wise man who built his house on the rock.

Forgiveness.

Jesus commanded us to freely forgive others and not to judge. You cannot love people if you are judging them. We desire to continually have a spirit of forgiveness and love towards all people.

Love.

The greatest and core command of Jesus is to love one another. If we do not love others, whatever we do will be empty and meaningless.

The Word of God.

God speaks to his people through his word. Living in his word is a central part of living in love relationship with God.

Eternity.

Jesus said to lay up treasures in heaven, not on earth. Life is very short. It is foolish to live for temporary things. We want to live for things that will remain forever.

Giving.

We want to give generously, not out of compulsion, but because we love God and trust him for our needs.

Children.

Children are treasures to God. They can know God, grow as disciples and live in his Kingdom.

Evangelism.

People are lost in sin without Christ. God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that whoever believes in him would not perish, but have everlasting life. The heart of the Father is that lost sons and daughters return to him through the cross of Jesus.

Missions.

God's heart is for the nations. He commanded us to make disciples of all nations (all people groups) on the face of the earth. His plan from the beginning was to bless all nations through us.

Service.

Jesus was a servant and set an example for us to follow. Serving others is central to being a disciple of Jesus.

Prayer.

Prayer is an essential part of our relationship with God. It involves both talking and listening to God. The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective.

Christianity & Culture.

God created cultures and desires to communicate his life through human cultures. We strive to be culturally relevant in our communication and expression of Christianity.

Friendship.

Everyone needs friends! Jesus was friends with his disciples. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. It is unthinkable that a person can be a follower of Jesus and not have true friends!

Unity.

Jesus prayed that we would be one as he is one with the Father. Unity is based on relationship with him, not on organization or doctrine. We embrace fellowship with all true followers of Jesus.