The global church engaged in effective holistic mission especially among the poor and marginalised

To equip leaders, nurture scholars and enable institutions for ministry particularly in the Two-Thirds world churches

The objects of the Association (i.e. of OCMS) shall be conducted in accordance with Historic Biblical Christianity and in particular in the spirit of the following commitments:-

Biblical truth is God’s truth for obedience and mission. While our primary theological commitments are expressed in the historic creeds and confessions of the churches and denominations in which we are already engaged in mission, we affirm our partnership in obedience to God, in membership in the Church and in mission to the world in the following terms.

As those called by the grace of God the Father, redeemed through the death and resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ and indwelt by his Holy Spirit to be partners in God’s mission, we make our commitments with reference to the personal, religious, political and socio – economic realities of our contexts.

We are committed to Jesus Christ Our Lord, God’s supreme revelation, the Word made flesh in history, and are committed to obey God’ s written and authoritative Word, the Bible.

We seek to discover, under the leading of the Holy Spirit, its meaning for our obedience today in each of our contexts by engaging the Bible with our contexts and seeking insights from each contextual expression of the Gospel to challenge our own insights.

We are committed to the wholistic mission of Jesus Christ, which is to establish God’s Kingdom of right personal, religious, political and socio-economic relationships with him.

We seek to discern and participate in the work of God in Christ in history to bring in his kingdom by proclaiming the good news of God’s judgement on human rebellion, of the reconciliation of people with God and their neighbours, and of the restoration of all things in Jesus Christ, and by calling people to repent and believe in Jesus Christ and experience new birth in him through the Holy Spirit.

We affirm God’s identification with poor, powerless, alienated and oppressed people.

We recognize that we ourselves are part of such situations and accept our complicity in this evil. Yet we seek to achieve justice with the victims of injustice and make all aware that God’ s judgement is on such oppression.

We affirm the Lordship of Jesus Christ over all demonic powers of evil which possess persons and pervade structures, societies and the created order.

We seek to indentify and engage with issues where the humanity of men and women is defaced by evil, in order that the reality of new men and women in Christ may emerge.

We affirm our hope in Jesus Christ’ s promise of a triumphal return to fulfil the Kingdom by a total transformation of the created order.

We seek the power of the Holy Spirit to live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ in expectation of his final victory. We seek to take a prophetic stance against dominating and dehumanising power by exercising and encouraging servant leadership among people of God.

We affirm our continuity with the body of Christ throughout history worldwide and are committed to its local and national expressions in our contexts.

We seek to enable churches to incarnate the Gospel of the Kingdom of God in their own contexts. We seek to affirm and develop the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to all members of the Body of Christ, and to build partnerships where by the Spirit’ s gifts may be mutually given and received for enrichment and correction across boundaries and forces that divide the unity of Christ’s mission.

As approved by the Board of OCMS May 2003

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This page last edited on Wednesday, 6th February 2008 by PEEL, Clayton