II. MINISTRY PHILOSOPHY
A. Holy Spirit and the Bible
We affirm that the Christian life is to be based on interaction with the Holy Spirit and the Bible, and that these two work in tandem with one another. Jesus said that we are to worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24). Christians have the Spirit of Christ living in them and through them, and they also have the words of God written through the authors of the Old and New Testaments. Thus, we believe that living from the indwelling presence of Christ, as well as viewing the Bible as authoritative in all issues it addresses directly and indirectly, are equally important, and never contradictory to one another.
B. Spiritual Gifts
We affirm that the spiritual gifts present during the days of the early church continue to be present and available for believers today. As such we encourage the discovery and mature development of spiritual gifts within the daily life of the believer for the edification of the church (1 Corinthians 14:12). Yet, in the development of spiritual gifts specifically, and in the Christian character generally, emphasis is placed on the fruits of the Spirit over the gifts of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23). If we do not use our gifts in love, for example, then they are of no value for the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
C. Sacraments
The Lord’s Supper:
We affirm that the Lord’s Supper is to be taken on a regular basis as a means of remembering what Christ accomplished for His children on the cross, and to reflect on the New Covenant in His blood (Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Thus, we encourage believers to partake of the Lord’s Supper on a weekly basis, not as a means of perfecting salvation, but to reflect on the One who has saved them perfectly (Hebrews 7:25, 10:14)
Baptism:
We affirm the importance of water baptism, not as a prerequisite for salvation, but as an act closely associated with it (Matthew 28:16-20). While we affirm that people are saved when they trust in Christ, we also believe that baptism can be a time in which faith is confirmed or finalized. Therefore, we offer an “open door policy” with regards to baptism so that believers may live out their faith as Jesus leads, being baptized by another believer at any time day or night.
D. Priesthood of All Believers
Outlook Church places a strong emphasis on the priesthood of all believers, male and female (1 Peter 2:9). This manifests in an egalitarian form of ministry in which qualified men and women may hold all leadership offices including the position of elders. Paul makes it clear that our identities are not ultimately contained in our gender or racial background, but rather in our positions “in Christ” (Galatians 3:28). Thus, we believe that all passages which seemingly speak against female involvement in the position of elder or teacher must be read and interpreted in appropriate historical context, and that these passages do not prohibit this form of female leadership.
E. Marriage
Outlook Church believes that God created man and woman as individually unique, valued, and biological persons. We believe the Lord’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed solely within the context of marriage to complement each other and to further express the image of God. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6; Mark 10:6-9; Romans 1:26-27;1 Corinthians 6:9). Due to Outlook Church’s view on the authority and inspiration of the Bible, and subsequent view of marriage, Outlook Church reserves the right to only conduct marriages which are founded on Biblical truth as interpreted by the Elders of Outlook Christian Church.
F. Giving
Outlook Church emphasizes the importance of freedom in financial giving as expressed in 2 Corinthians 9, especially 2 Corinthians 9:7. We do not encourage rule-based or guilt-based giving. Instead, we want people to have the freedom they need to give in the way God desires, willingly, sacrificially, and cheerfully. understanding of what Christ has done, and respond accordingly with gratitude, trust and obedience (love).
G. Emphasis on the Major Issues
Outlook Church desires to leave room for diversity within the body of Christ when it comes to various debatable issues within theology, ministry, and politics. Thus, we do not seek to draw “lines in the sand” in areas which are “gray” and debatable. Instead, we seek to cultivate unity on the foundation of the person and work of Christ and the relevancy of His written word. Some examples of debatable or “gray” issues include: events surrounding Christ’s return (rapture, millennium), preferred political party or candidate, preferred version of the Bible, holidays, worship styles, mode of the Lord’s Supper, and exact nature and definition of individual spiritual gifts. Outlook Church stresses unity not uniformity.