KidZ at Heart Statement of Faith

KidZ at Heart International is an independent, non-denominational, registered 501(c)(3) Christian mission designed to equip people to reach and teach kids for Christ within their own culture. As such, we are organized purely for religious purposes consistent with the core beliefs of orthodox Christianity in both faith and practice. We welcome to our Board, staff, and volunteer team likeminded individuals who wholeheartedly commit to the same orthodoxy in both content of teaching and lifestyle. The following statement of faith reflects, but does not exhaust, the extent of our beliefs.

The Bible: We believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the only infallible (John 3:33), authoritative, and divinely inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:14-18). It is the complete revelation of his will for the salvation of people, and the Divine and final authority for Christian faith and life (2 Peter 1:19-21; Psalm 19:7-11). For purposes of KidZ at Heart International’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our Board of Directors is KidZ at Heart’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.

Sovereign and Triune God: We believe in one God, Creator of all things (Psalm 102:25-28), infinitely perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4), and eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19, 3:16-17; Mark 12:29; John 1:1-4; Acts 2:33, 38, 5:3,4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 John 5:6-12).

Jesus Christ: We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18-22), fully divine, and fully human (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6; Luke 1:26-33; John 1:1-5, 14; Philippians 2:6-10; Hebrews 1:1-3). He died on the cross, the sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures (Isaiah 53; John 3:1-18; Romans 5:9; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 2:9, 9:22; 1 Peter 1:19, 2:24; Revelation 1:5). After which, he arose bodily from the dead (Psalm 167:10-11; John 20; Acts 2:22-36; 1 Corinthians 15:3-23), ascended into heaven, and now sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate (Acts 1:9-11, 7:55-56; Hebrews 4:14-5:10, 8:1, 9:24; I John 2:1-2).

Holy Spirit: We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose regeneration man is able to come to a saving faith in Christ and by whose indwelling the Christian is empowered to live a godly life as the Holy Spirit convicts, regenerates, indwells, guides, instructs, and prepares for service (John 14:16-17, 26, 16:5-15; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:8-16; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:13-21; Titus 3:5).

Humanity: We believe that people are created in the image of God, wonderfully and immutably created exclusively as male or female prior to birth, two distinct genders together reflecting the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). As such, we believe that “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting by God of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Genesis 2:18-25).

Sin: We believe that all people have fallen into sin and are therefore lost, and are now by nature sinners, deserving eternal separation from God (Genesis 3:4-7; Psalm 53:1-3). We believe that, among other sinful behaviors outlined in the Scriptures, any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, polygamy, polyandry, fornication, homosexual or bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, child molestation, the use of pornography, or any attempt to change one’s gender or disagreement with one’s biological gender) is sinful, offensive to God, and especially harmful to children (Matthew 15:18-20, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 18-20).

Salvation: We believe that through faith in Christ, men, women, and children become new creations and are adopted as children of God through regeneration by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:1-10; Titus 3:4-7). Salvation is a free gift bestowed by God’s grace, received by faith alone in Christ’s complete work of redemption. The shed blood of Jesus Christ and his resurrection provide the only grounds for justification and salvation for all who believe (Acts 4:10-12; John 14:6), and only those who receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and become children of God (John 1:12-13).

The Resurrection: We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead: of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord, of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment (John 11:25; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:5-8).

The Church: We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that the true Church is composed of all such persons who, through saving faith in Jesus Christ, have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the body of Christ of which he is the Head (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:13). We believe that the faith community in the context of the local church is uniquely responsible for partnering with families to nurture children into fully devoted followers of Christ (Deuteronomy 6). The local church as an organization and the members of that faith community must support and equip family members in the work of raising children.

The Mission: We believe that the role of the believer in Jesus Christ on earth is to fulfill the commands of Christ to love God fully (the Great Commandment, Mark 12:30), to love one another completely (the Great Compassion, Mark 12:31), and to make disciples of all nations (the Great Commission, Matthew 28:18-20). We believe that the family, regardless of its shape and size, is also given unique responsibility to nurture children into fully devoted followers of Christ and that this is best done in partnership with the church. Family leaders must seek their own personal spiritual transformation in order to successfully share faith with the next generation. We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the ministry and to provide a biblical role model to the world, it is imperative that all persons employed by KidZ at Heart in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers in any capacity, abide by and agree to this Statement of Faith and conduct themselves accordingly (1 Corinthians 5:9-13, 6:18-20).

Children: We believe that children are dear to God and are themselves “gifts” from God (Genesis 33:5; Psalm 127:4; Proverbs 17:6). God invites children to enter into a personal relationship with him through faith in Christ (Matthew 19:14; Mark 10:16; Luke 18:16: Acts 2:39). He also values them as active followers of his (Joel 1:3; Matthew 21:16), with full participation in relationship with their God (Matthew 18:3; Mark 9:37) and in ministry to other people (Deuteronomy 31:13; 2 Chronicles 20:13; Proverbs 22:6).

All peoples: As ones created in the image of God, all human life is of inestimable worth in its every dimension, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other state or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect and value all human life (Psalm 139), and to treat all peoples with biblical love, whether rich or poor, powerful or weak, spiritually believing or seeking truth, from our own culture or another (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11). Every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Behavior or attitudes not in accord with Scripture and directed toward any individual are to be repudiated (Leviticus 19:18; Galatians 5:13-14; Ephesians 4:1-6).

(Restated by Board of Directors, January 9, 2016)