What We Believe @ Echo Mountain Church
Purpose | Core Convictions (Statement of Faith) | Leadership | Church Membership | Baptism | Parent-Child Dedications
Questionnaires for those who wish to participate in:
Baptism | Parent-Child Dedication | Membership
If you would like to become a member of Echo Mountain Church, be baptized or participate in a parent-child dedication, please contact our office for a questionnaire you can fill out.
To meet people wherever they are on their spiritual journey and help them to grow as followers of Jesus.
Our Core-Convictions
We believe in one God, Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, who eternally exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
We believe that Jesus Christ is God the Son – God in human flesh – and was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
We believe that God revealed himself in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sin, was buried, rose physically from the dead, and ascended into heaven.
We believe the Holy Spirit lives in every believer, convicting and empowering them to grow as followers of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God has revealed himself in the Bible (Old and New Testament) – the only inspired, inerrant, and authoritative word of God.
We believe that all people have been created in the image of God but possess a sin-nature that separates them from God until they receive Christ.
We believe that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith become children of God, forgiven for all of their sin and irrevocably promised eternal life in heaven. God offers this assurance in his word only to those who have accepted his unconditional love and forgiveness in Christ.
We believe that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly to judge the living and the dead and introduce the eternal state in which all who have received Christ in this life will spend eternity with God.
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Church Membership @ Echo Mountain Church
Church members are experiencing a growing faith in God through Jesus Christ. They are actively involved in the worship and ministry of the church through prayer, attendance, financial support and participation in congregational meetings as needed.
Church membership is not like membership in a club. It’s not about paying dues or trying to be the biggest church in town. Echo Mountain Church invites and welcomes everyone, whether they are life-long believers or spiritual seekers—and membership is not required! We are committed to do whatever we can to help everyone in our church grow as followers of Christ and to support and care for them in any time of need.
In 1 Corinthians 12:13, the Bible says that believers are “baptized by God’s Spirit into one body.” This means that when you commit your life to God through Jesus Christ, you become a member of Christ’s church, of which Jesus said, “I will build my church” in Matthew 16:16-17. His church is made up of believers in individual churches (like Echo Mountain Church) all over the world. For this reason, only those who have personally accepted God’s love and forgiveness through Christ’s death on the cross, and have committed themselves as children of God and followers of Jesus, should consider becoming members of a local church.
The Bible also teaches that churches are to agree on their essential beliefs, identify their leaders, support their church financially, and manage themselves organizationally. Our members understand this and are thus in agreement with and supportive of our purpose, mission, and leadership. Simply stated, they have chosen Echo to be their church—where they are committed to worship, serve, and grow.
How do members fit into the church organization? As a non-profit religious corporation in the state of Arizona, we are required to identify those who are responsible for the fiscal activities of the church. It is the responsibility of our members to vote on issues such as our budget, elders, land sales and acquisitions, etc. at our congregational meetings. In addition, some ministry positions in our church require the commitment of membership.
If I am a member of another church, do I need to transfer my membership to Echo Mountain Church? Echo Mountain Church does not require a membership transfer. However, if you are a member of a church in our area and wish to become a member at Echo we recommend that you contact your former church to let them know of your plans. If there are differences in doctrine or tradition between your former church and Echo, we suggest that you make an appointment with our pastor to make sure that you are comfortable with our positions on those issues.
Church members publicly affirm their agreement with and supportive of our purpose, mission, statement of faith, ministry philosophies and practices by signing their name to our Membership Commitment (below), which is displayed publicly in our church with the names of our members.
As Elders, representing the staff and leaders of Echo Mountain Church, we commit ourselves to serving everyone in our church (members and non-members alike) by…
Modeling authentic faith in God through Jesus Christ.
Protecting our purpose and core-convictions.
Caring for the needs of individuals.
Helping you grow as a follower of Jesus.
As a Member of Echo Mountain Church, I commit myself to…
Pursuing my own spiritual growth through prayer, fellowship, serving, worship and a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Understanding and living out the purpose and core-convictions of our church.
Supporting the church through my active participation and financial giving as God leads.
Treating others at home, work, school and church as Jesus would.
Questionnaires for those who wish to participate in: Baptism | Parent-Child Dedication | Membership
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Leadership @ Echo Mountain Church
Elders serve as the spiritual leadership of Echo Mountain Church and fulfill the role of Board of Directors (including corporate officers).
Elders meet qualifications outlined in the Bible and work to establish, modify and explain our doctrine and teaching positions.
The Elders includes the Senior Pastor and two or more others from the staff and/or congregation, pending affirmation by the church in a congregational meeting.
They are responsible to manage the church assets, budget and personnel via direct involvement and/or delegation to staff and volunteers as deemed necessary, and to convene and lead congregational meetings.
When extreme and unfortunate circumstances deem necessary, the elders have (with two-thirds agreement among elders) the authority to dismiss someone from the staff, church board, and elders (except the Senior Pastor, which requires a vote of the members in a congregational meeting)
Non-staff elders are affirmed by the congregation in a congregational meeting. The normal term of service is three years with at least one year between terms.
Ministry Advisory Council
The Ministry Advisory Council meets regularly with the Senior Pastor and Ministry Staff to offer counsel and assistance regarding our ministries in light of our purpose, mission and values.
This Council includes the elders and volunteers (appointed by the elders) who serve renewable 12-month terms of service.
Senior Pastor
The Senior Pastor leads the church in the expression and experience of our purpose, mission, statement of faith, ministry philosophies and practices in a spiritually healthy church environment.
The Senior Pastor teaches in and provides leadership for the worship services.
The Senior Pastor explains and advocates the teaching positions of the church; provides pastoral and biblical counseling; hires, oversees and evaluates Ministry Staff; and serves as ex-officio Chief Administrative Officer, Elder and member of the Ministry Advisory Council.
The Ministry staff includes volunteer and paid individuals who work with the Senior Pastor to meet the spiritual needs of the church.
They create and lead ministries and programs through which people can grow in their faith, serve God by serving others and fulfill our purpose and mission.
Ministry Staff members can provide pastoral counseling and pulpit support as directed by job description.
Ministry Staff members focus on providing leadership, training, and support for volunteer staff and leaders.
Ministry Staff members can serve as Elders and/or Ministry Advisory Council members as directed by job description.
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What do we believe about baptism? Baptism is a ritual depicting the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, serving to publicly identify them as a child of God and a follower of Christ.
What if I have already been baptized? If you have been baptized at any time in the past and feel confident that your experience served as public identification of yourself as a follower of Christ, we do not believe you need to be baptized again. If you do not feel your experience really reflected your faith, you are certainly free to be baptized again and we would be happy to help you.
Can children be baptized? Yes, however we do not encourage parents to rush their children into this decision out of fear that their spiritual position is in danger until they are baptized. In the case of infants and toddlers, we offer parent-child dedication services in which parents can publicly commit themselves to the Lord as a family unit (see next page).
Why do we baptize by immersion? We have adopted the tradition of baptism by immersion because, in the original language of the New Testament, the word “baptize” means to “dip” or to “sink;” and because the early church understood this to be the correct way to baptize. We do not believe baptism by immersion is the only legitimate form of baptism and will do all we can to accommodate those who are uncomfortable with it.
Questionnaires for those who wish to participate in: Baptism | Parent-Child Dedication | Membership
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Parent-Child Dedications
Proverbs 14:26 says “Those fear the Lord have a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge.”
The Bible teaches that children are a tremendous blessing and an enormous responsibility. We believe that God calls parents to be the primary and most influential examples of God’s unconditional love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness in their children’s lives. For that reason we give parents the opportunity to publicly commit themselves to raising their children in the grace, love, and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The parent-child dedication happens during a worship service in which the parents will come and stand with our pastor in front of the congregation. The pastor will ask the following three questions of the parents:
“Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he died on the cross for your sin, and that he was resurrected from the dead?”
“Have personally accepted God’s love, forgiveness, and the promise of eternal life in Christ in your own lives?”
“Do you commit yourself, to the best of your ability, to being examples of God’s unconditional love and grace so that your child will grow up with an understanding of God’s nature, God’s word and God’s love?”
Afterward, the pastor will pray for both the parents and the child. The entire process will take about five minutes. Even though it is mostly parents of infants who do this, it is not at all inappropriate for parents to dedicate themselves for children of any age.
Questionnaires for those who wish to participate in: Baptism | Parent-Child Dedication | Membership
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If you would like to become a member of Echo Mountain Church, be baptized or participate in a parent-child dedication, please contact our office for a questionnaire you can fill out.
Purpose | Core Convictions (Statement of Faith) | Leadership | Church Membership | Baptism | Parent-Child Dedications
Questionnaires for those who wish to participate in: Baptism | Parent-Child Dedication | Membership