Statement of Faith

Winebrenner Theological Seminary is an evangelical seminary. It is distinctly shaped by the Churches of God, General Conference, but it is a community made up of many traditions in the body of Christ.

The distinctive Winebrenner character affirms the position of historic pietism; that the personal experience of regeneration is a divine act and the sole means by which alienated humankind is reconciled to God in Christ. It also affirms the practice of three ordinances: believers’ baptism by immersion, the communion of the Lord’s Table, and the washing of the saints’ feet. The Seminary is Arminian in persuasion and nonsectarian in its positions. Thus, the Seminary community enables administrators, faculty members, and students to recognize and respect different viewpoints regarding various doctrines without compromising the historical tenets of Christianity.

Winebrenner Theological Seminary affirms the following essential historic Christian doctrines as taught in Scripture and handed down by the Church:

1. We believe in the living and true God: one in essence, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2. We believe in the eternally existent Father, Creator of the universe, sovereign and holy God, Lord of all life, perfect in love and power, just and merciful in all ways.
3. We believe in the incarnate and revelatory Word of God, Jesus Christ, the perfect mediator between God and humanity: fully divine and fully human as revealed by his virgin birth, sinless life, teaching and miracles, vicarious and atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension, and personal return in power and glory.
4. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the divine agent of regeneration, essential to the salvation of alienated and sinful people; by the ministry of the Spirit of God, people are enabled to know God’s grace, experience God’s love in Christ, and live a Christ-centered life.
5. We believe in the written and revelatory Word of God, the Bible, inspired and illumined by the Holy Spirit: the only authoritative and trustworthy rule of Christian faith and practice.
6. We believe in the body of Christ (the Church), the people of God, called out to follow and represent Christ in the world.
7. We believe in the ultimate realization of God’s glorious reign, consummated by the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment of all people to eternal life or separation from God, and wherein all things will be made new to the glory of God.

Although the presence of these emphases reflects Winebrenner Theological Seminary’s theological position, these beliefs are held charitably and non-coercively within the community; for instance, courses are taught from a stance in which alternative viewpoints are studied historically and systematically.