Empowered365 Network Beliefs
The following beliefs are non-negotiable. We do not permit Influencers, or courses or books from publishers or authors in our marketplace, who disagree and teach contrary to the positions below. We do not allow those who outright reject these beliefs to become members. You're welcome to become a member if you're still undecided/questioning (still open and learning), provided that you agree not to openly teach beliefs contrary to these as our official positions.
CORE CHRISTIAN BELIEFS
We Believe And Hold That...
- The 66-Book Holy Bible is the inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word of God, it alone is the final authority for determining all doctrinal truths and rules for faith and life.
- There is Only One True God, with no gods created before or after Him, in all places, in all time, who exists in three co-eternal and co-equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who created and sustains everything else that exists, who alone receives prayer, and who alone deserves all glory.
- Jesus Christ is the eternal Word of God, conceived in the womb and born of the virgin Mary, born truly God and truly man, lived a sinless life, died on a cross for the sins of humankind, bodily rose on the third day, and now reigns in Heaven as our Lord, Savior, and King.
- Humanity, every race and ethnicity, was created by God in the image of God, good and blameless, but inherited the curse of Adam, has a fallen sin nature inclined to sin, falls short of the glory of God, stands guilty and condemned, and whose only hope of redemption is found in Christ.
- Salvation, forgiveness, justification, regeneration, adoption, and eternal life, is by God's grace alone, through repentance of sin and faith alone, in the deity, substitutionary death, and resurrection of Christ alone.
- Saving Faith is demonstrated through one's ongoing commitment to repentance, obedience, love, righteousness, holiness, submission to and cooperation with the Holy Spirit, in accord with the Word of God and the Church, resulting in a sanctified life as a living sacrifice to God.
ESSENTIAL CHRISTIAN BELIEFS
We Believe And Hold That...
- The True Church, the Body and Bride of Christ, the spiritual fellowship and unity of everyone born of the Holy Spirit; each person now a saint, called, anointed, and gifted by God; to serve in the corporate assembly, for edification of the saints and fulfillment of the Great Commission.
- Jesus instituted Two Sacraments or ordinances, Water Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and all who belong to Him shall participate.
- Satan and Demons are real enemies we war against, submitting to God, resisting the devil, denying the sinful desires of the flesh, believers have authority and power over them, it's God's will the Church help people be victorious, and find lasting spiritual freedom and healing.
- Jesus's Second Coming to establish His kingdom on earth, will be physical, visible, and glorious, there will be a resurrection of the living and dead, some to Heaven and eternal life, some to Hell and eternal death.
- Hell is a real place of eternal, conscious torment, and all who persist in their sin and reject Jesus, will die in their sins, be judged by God and found guilty, and sent there, along with Satan and his fallen angels.
- Heaven is a real place where God dwells, all who belong to Jesus will meet Him there upon death. One day God will unite Heaven and Earth and there will be no more separation from God, death, suffering, or pain.
- Our Primary Purpose in Life is to glorify God with all that we are and do, become conformed into the image of Christ, pursue eternal treasures in Heaven, and seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
RELEVANT MORAL BELIEFS
We Believe And Hold That...
- Marriage is reserved only for one man with one woman, becoming a one flesh, holy unity, a divine order established by God, a picture of Christ and the Church. Divorce is forgivable, and biblically permissible in cases of adultery, abuse, or abandonment, but should be last resort.
- Sexuality and the boundaries of its expression, is limited to the marital relationship of one man with one woman. Homosexual acts, adultery, incest, bestiality, fornication (any sexual contact outside of marriage); sexually immoral entertainment, strip clubs, pornography, sexually explicit TV, movies, games; perverse behavior, and lustful desire and behavior is categorically condemned.
- Transgenderism, Transsexuality, Gender Identity. God wonderfully and unchangeably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary sexes together reflect the image and nature of God. Gender identity is biologically (physiologically) determined by God, equal to one’s sex, not dependent on self-perception. Rejection of one’s biological sex is persistent rebellion, rejection of the image of God, and the roles and calling God assigned, trusting in the sinful, broken desires of the flesh we’ve been commanded to crucify.
- All human life is sacred, created by God in His image, including pre-born babies, the aged, physically or mentally challenged, every stage or condition from conception to natural death. Abortion for convenience, social adjustment, or economic advantage is evil. Medical conditions posing serious threat to mothers may cautiously necessitate therapeutic abortion. The solution for pregnancy due to rape or incest is not to end the life, but support and minister to the well-being of mother and family.
Affiliations, Distinctives, Partners
We do not require influencers, publishers, authors, or members to have all the same beliefs—only those above in the "Empowered365 Network Beliefs" section (all three tabs: Core Christian Beliefs, Essential Christian Beliefs, and Relevant Moral Beliefs). But this section has been included to also give a better idea of who the parent organization of our Network is, and the theological perspective preferred and taught in their teachings, courses, and content. We also include below our policy for different beliefs from influencers and items in our marketplace from external publishers.
DENOMINATIONAL AFFILIATIONS
We're Protestant, Non-Denominational.
The Empowered365 Network is owned and operated by the nonprofit organization, MPowered Christian Ministries Inc. We are not officially part of, or owned or governed by, any one denomination.
- Our organization and network are foremost governed according to our commitment to Article 3 of our Constitution, which says that the purpose of this nonprofit corporation is to, "Advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ; to educate, deliver, counsel, disciple, train, and mobilize Christians towards individual and global transformation, and advancement of Biblical Evangelical Christianity worldwide."
- However, we are proud of our affiliation—as a ministry partner—with the Missionary Church, which has over 2 million members worldwide, a robust 175 year heritage, and Mennonite and Anabaptist roots. If you would like a better understanding of who they are visit https://mcusa.org
- We are also proud of our commitment to ecumenism in secondary doctrines, having learned and benefitted from many diverse friends and ministry partnerships in the broader Protestant, Evangelical, Reformed, Wesleyan, Baptist, and Pentecostal traditions.
- We are proud to be a welcoming community for students from all Protestant Christian backgrounds and denominations. Our Network includes Pentecostals, Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists, Holiness, etc. as well as nondenominational students. Everyone shares a strong commitment to knowing Christ and making Him known, and we celebrate our theological similarities while appreciating our differences.
MPOWERED CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES DISTINCTIVES
MPowered Christian Ministries Distinctives
While the Empowered365 Network aims to remain bipartisan and allow a variety of perspectives (as long as they're Biblical and Protestant), MPowered Christian Ministries Inc, and its president and lead pastor Brian Holmes, do teach particular beliefs in their courses, live streams, and workshops.
- These may be summarized as: Wesleyan, Full-immersion triune believer's Baptism, spiritual presence Communion, Arminian, Amillennialist, Theologically Conservative, non-legalistic Holiness, Non-evolutionary Old Earth, Non-KJV-only; Continuationist, but NOT unbiblically charismatic, NAR, word faith, or prosperity driven. A link to a detailed official "MCM Statement of Faith" at MPoweredChristian.org is below.
- This full statement of faith is also organized into 30 categories of core, essential, and important, in our Christian Beliefs 101 course. In it, Empowered365 Network President and Lead Pastor Brian Holmes teaches through each belief, unpacking and comparing and contrasting his views with other denominational perspectives, indicating which are essential and secondary. Note, tertiary doctrines like eschatology, age of earth, Bible translation, etc. are not included.
- As a general rule, in all of MPowered Christian Ministries' teachings, care is given to help students understand theological nuances and essential vs. nonessential beliefs so they can form their own positions.
- To better understand the beliefs of those who wish to be our partners, all potential Influencers and Publishers are required to go through these same 30 Beliefs. See "Influencers & Other Publishers" tab for info.
INFLUENCERS & OTHER PUBLISHERS
Requirements for Partnerships
Protecting our members from false teaching is one of our primary concerns. All Influencers, or Publishers and Authors in our marketplace, sign a statement agreeing with, and agreeing not to teach anything contrary to, our "Network Beliefs" (Core, Essential, & Moral Beliefs) above. If you find a contrary teaching, either inside or outside of our platform, please notify us immediately.
- For us to better understand the theological positions of all potential influencers and publishers, they are required to go through our 30 points (found in the "MPowered Christian Ministries Distinctives" > "MCM Statement of Faith"), and indicate if, where, and how they differ.
- Before ebooks and courses are published and available in our marketplace, we thoroughly review all content.
- If a Publisher has a book or course in our marketplace, their responses to this 30-item document is included with their book, or as a lesson in the first chapter of their course.
- If we find a teaching not so heretical that the book/course is rejected, but contradicts other courses, we may require the inclusion of a short response video in the course prior to approval for publishing. Publishers will have the right and opportunity to withdrawal their course if this is unacceptable.
- We reserve the right to refuse course submissions, modifications, or to remove existing courses, at any time, at our own discretion.
- These policies allow us to feature great content from outside ministries (who will inevitably disagree about some things), allowing us all to strive towards Christian unity, while providing transparency and protecting our members from false teaching or confusing mixed messages.
