The American Indian Christian Mission (AICM) is a ministry arm of a brotherhood of independent churches most commonly called Christian Church, or Church of Christ, but also may be known by a variety of other names chosen to reflect the local congregation. This group of churches has its roots in the Restoration Movement of the early to mid 1800’s. The Restoration Movement centered on the desire to “get back to basics” as far as the Bible is concerned. The group is referred to as a “brotherhood” because while there is a spirit of unity and cooperation among the churches, there is no overarching organizational structure above the local congregation.

Emulating that organizational structure, AICM is an independent organization. Guided by a Board of Directors, who must be active members of supporting Christian Churches/Church of Christ, AICM determines its own policies and practices in light of Biblical expectations. AICM voluntarily cooperates with other Christian groups toward the goal of fulfilling our Lord’s “Great Commission”.

THE BASIS FOR OUR BELIEFS

In order to understand the reasons behind what we believe and teach, it is necessary to understand three principles from which the “Restoration Movement” grew.

“No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible”.

Our total hope and faith in eternity is based upon our belief in Jesus Christ as the living Son of God, and we believe the Bible is the only written material we need to explain how to get, and to maintain, a relationship with God and with one another as believers.

“In essentials, unity-In non-essentials, liberty-In all things, love”.

This is the essence of what we believe and teach. If a subject is essential to our salvation and our walk with Christ, then we believe we must be unified in our belief and teaching. We may have the liberty to believe and teach according to what we individually understand the Bible to say. But, in all manners involving our relationship with one another, we must exhibit love.

“Where the Bible speaks, we speak. When the Bible is silent, we are silent”.

If the Bible tells us specifically how to deal with certain situations, we believe we must do it that way. If the Bible does not specifically provide directions for us, we are free to make decisions on how to act based upon our reasoned understanding of what the Bible says about similar situations or dealings.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

God is the creator of our world and everything in it. He is the Sustainer and Lord of our lives. He has no beginning and will have no end. He is eternal.

Jesus Christ is the one and only living Son of God, and our Savior. He is God incarnate; God revealed in human form. Jesus Christ and God are one. Through His death on the cross, Jesus took all of our sins upon Himself and they died with Him. Through His resurrection, we have the promise of eternal life with Him if we will accept Him as our Lord and Savior, be baptized into Him, and be obedient to all that He commands.

The Holy Spirit is a divine person existing eternally. He is God. His purpose is to encourage, guide and intercede for us and transform us in the way of Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit inhabits the soul of all Christians as a gift bestowed upon them when they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and were immersed into Him.

The Bible is the inspired, unerring Word of God. It contains all we need to know to be able to live our Christian lives to the fullest and to tell others what they must do to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

The Bible teaches baptism (immersion) of the repentant believer for the forgiveness of sins and for receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

God, who created all things, will one day bring life on earth to a conclusion. Christ will return at that time and call all Christians to Him. No one knows the time or date when this will occur.

All persons, of all races, have been created in the image of God and we are all the same in the sight of God.

AS A RESULT OF WHAT WE BELIEVE

While we realize that there is room for differences of understanding in some areas of Bible teaching, we require all those who minister with us here to understand and agree with what we believe.

We expect all who minister here with us to strive for Christian maturity and to work in harmony with others on the staff.

We expect all who minister here with us to understand and submit to the authority of the leadership of AICM.

We expect all who minister here with us to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ. This includes regular worship with a body of believers.

In our regular worship services, we ill include “The Lord’s Supper” or “Communion”, as a remembrance of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We will not teach, nor will we practice, what is commonly called “speaking in tongues”.