STATEMENT OF POLICY
October 16, 2020
The Charismatic Leaders Fellowship (CLF) adopts this Statement of Policy. It was originally developed and adopted by the North American Renewal Service Committee (NARSC), prior to convening the Congress on the Holy Spirit and World Evangelization in New Orleans in 1987. NARSC used this Statement as the basis of collaboration for events in 1990 in Indianapolis, 1995 in Orlando and 2000 in St. Louis.
We, the members of the Charismatic Leaders Fellowship, acknowledge that our purpose in coming together is to work together to serve our Lord Jesus Christ and to further His plan in the world. We believe that He has called us into this relationship so that He might lead us, by the power of His Spirit, to contribute to the work of Christian unity and mutual support in a darkening world. Because we have come together from so many different backgrounds, we want to state publicly, as well as to each other, the terms of our relationship:
We are Christians. We acknowledge Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, to be our Lord and Savior. We seek to live as His followers by His grace and by the power of His Holy Spirit. We seek to live in obedience to His word. We are committed to biblical righteousness in our behavior and to growth in His holiness in our spiritual lives. We believe that the Lord Jesus has given His followers the gift of the Holy Spirit and that He sends them as He Himself was sent, to proclaim the good news of salvation to all humankind.
We are members of many different Christian churches, denominations, bodies, and ministries. We acknowledge that our coming together is a unique work of the Spirit and which needs to be safeguarded. Disunity in the Church is a historic and present-day reality that challenges all Christians to work for authentic solutions. Aware of this, we want to relate to one another and conduct our work in a way that promotes Christian unity with honesty and integrity.
We accept each other as brothers and sisters in our one Lord, Jesus Christ. We acknowledge each other as members of His body, the Church. We honor the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit in each other’s lives.
We will work together as brothers and sisters. We will seek to relate to each other in humility, to develop mutual trust, fellowship and affection. We will uphold each other in prayer.
We and the churches, denominations, groups, and ministries to which we personally belong agree on many matters of faith and practice. Sometimes this agreement is plainly evident. Sometimes it is obscured in theological vocabulary and praxis. We will labor to give expression to our agreement.
We will respect, and be sensitive to, the different ways in which we express the same truths. Without compromise to our convictions, we will try to express our agreements in ways which are acceptable to all.
We and the churches, denominations, groups and ministries to which we personally belong disagree on other matters of faith and practice. Resolving such difficulties is the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church. As we face such disagreement, our hope is in the Lord. We look forward to the day when we will be of one mind and heart.
We acknowledge our real differences in a spirit of brotherly love and mutual understanding. We will respect each other’s convictions in these matters. Without minimizing the very real theological differences that exist among Christians, we will strive to treat such areas of disagreement respectfully and with sensitivity to each other’s churches, traditions, and constituencies.
Among our churches, denominations, groups and ministries, there may have been times of tension, opposition and conflict. We wish to put these times behind us by the grace of God. In view of the call we all believe we have from the Lord to enter into this relationship for common work, we want to express our mutual personal respect and our respect for one another’s ministries. We will speak well of one another and will do so without a contentious spirit, but in a loving manner that seeks to edify and that is open to learning from one another.