Movement not a denomination:
CCCVaT is a movement of like-minded local churches, predominantly from a Christian Brethren heritage, that have united under a common vision and mission, set of beliefs and core values.
Leadership by influence:
Leadership of CCCVaT is via relationship, trust and influence rather than hierarchical authority and enforced compliance of organizational obligations, liturgy, leadership validation and behavioral expectations.
Autonomy of church affiliates:
We believe in the autonomy and self-governance of the local church, but we affirm and value unity and mutuality across our movement and are committed to support and empower each other to advance God’s kingdom and provide opportunity for many others to know and follow Jesus.
Evangelism and discipleship:
We are driven by the Great Commission of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20). We are committed to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people and to provide a ministry of discipleship for each new believer, so that they will become all that God has designed them to be.
Scripture:
We are committed to the Bible as the foundation and final authority for life and ministry. We encourage all in our movement to study it diligently, apply it daily, and teach its truth to others.
Prayer:
We are committed to prayer as the means by which we communicate with God and He communicates with us. We view prayer as the ‘powerhouse’ of the Church and essential to effective ministry and mission. We are dedicated to pray for the salvation of the lost, the advancement of God’s Kingdom in the world, and for the empowerment of God’s Holy Spirit of all in our movement so that they may live by the commands and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Priesthood of all believers:
We celebrate and practice the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:4, 5, 9; Revelation 1:6, 5:10). We believe that through Christ we have been given direct access to God (1 Timothy 2:5), God is equally accessible to all the believers, and every follower of Christ has equal potential and validity to minister for God in all aspects of faith and church, according to the gifts God has given them (Romans 12:3-8 & 1 Corinthians 12:7-13)
Plurality of leadership:
We believe in the plurality of leadership where the local church is led by a defined group of leaders with equal authority, with the pastor being viewed as one among equals.
Ordinances:
We observe two ordinances, full immersion baptism and communion. We practice full immersion baptism as a public declaration and representation of a Christian’s spiritual union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:3-8). We regularly celebrate communion in our local churches, usually weekly, following Christ’s instruction to do this to remember Him (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).