Recognising the limitations of any brief and simple statement, and with no attempt to be exhaustive, GC3 holds that the following affirmations express fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith.

We believe each statement in this affirmation to be consistent with the teaching of scripture.

We believe that there is only One True God, revealed in the Trinity of the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit to each of whom equal honour is due. We uphold firmly God's three-in-oneness believing that almost everything that matters in Christianity hangs on this truth. We are committed to bringing all people into a living, personal and ever-growing relationship with God.

We believe the Bible is the complete Word of God, given to us by divine inspiration; is without error and has supreme authority in all matters of faith and living. We accept its authority as God's authority and always try to act in line with its principles in our mission activity.

We believe that all people are sinners and subject to the judgment of God; that deliverance from the guilt, penalty, power and ultimately the presence of sin is found only through the sacrificial death of Christ who died as our substitute; that our being right with God is not achieved through works, but solely through personal faith in Christ alone. We are totally committed to communicate this message of hope and salvation, in particular by those who are involved in cross-cultural and global mission.

We believe in personal baptism by immersion of all believers as an act symbolic of our union with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection and attesting to our personal commitment to Him.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, fully God and fully human but without sin; that he died for our sins but was physically resurrected from death and ascended to heaven. Therefore, we emphasize the importance of acknowledging Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, his authority in our lives. We believe that all committed Christians should regularly celebrate the Lord's Supper in remembrance of him, this act expressing our unity in him.

We believe in the work of the Holy Spirit for salvation and for spiritual growth; that all believers are permanently in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit from the time of their conversion, and that all believers should lead godly, moral and loving lives under the complete control of the Holy Spirit.

We believe in the oneness of the Church which is made up of all believers; that the local church is the visible expression of the Church in its community, each being autonomous and governed by an elder-group; that all members of a local church contribute to its ministry by means of God-given spiritual gifts. Therefore, we support programmes which prepare believers for effective service.

Our missionary task is motivated by the love of God for all people everywhere, as demonstrated by the compassionate ministry of Christ. We support the complementary nature of caring love in action, justice in human relationships, and the offer of God's saving love in words.

We believe the God we love and serve is the creator of our world with its people groups. We see ethnic and cultural diversity as part of his design and thus we will show respect and sensitivity in our cross-cultural ministries.

We believe that the supreme authority for the Church is our Lord Jesus Christ; that leadership, gifts, order and discipline at the local church level are all exercised under His authority and that all church members are to submit to the delegated authority of the elders.

We believe in the reality of life after death for all people, that Jesus Christ will personally return to take all believers to heaven and that this coming could take place at any moment. Therefore, we are committed to the importance of spiritual and eternal values.

We believe that mission is rooted in the nature of God who desires to reconcile sinful humanity to Himself. Because he continues to implement his mission through his people today, we will assist and support what he is doing in the world. We will obey the Great Commission of Christ given in Matthew 28:18-20. We accept the responsibility to work together as a team committed to this task.

GCiM commenced operating on behalf of the Christian Brethren Assembly network in January 2001 as an amalgamation of Missionary Services New Zealand and Gospel Literature Outreach.

While Global Connections in Mission (GCiM) is a recently formed mission organisation, its roots go back more than 100 years. New Zealand's first commended Assembly missionary was James Kirk who sailed for South America in 1896 and served the Lord there for 56 years.

Read more about our history.