Tom Shanklin Ministries has established the following principles as our statement of faith:

l. We believe that God the Father, His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the three persons of the Godhead, one God in three persons. (II Cor. 13:14)

2. We believe that the Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God, that it is profitable for doctrine, reproof and correction, for instruction in righteousness and that this same Word is alive and powerful, having the ability to bring new life to human beings. (II Tim. 3:16, Heb. 4:12, I Peter 1:23)

3. We believe in the new birth through faith in Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation. (John 3:7, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Eph. 2:1)

4. We believe in water baptism by immersion as prescribed by Jesus Christ and the apostles, not as a means to salvation, but as an act of obedience, symbolizing the surrender of the will to God, death to the old way of living and identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. (Luke 24:43, Matt. 28:19, Mark 16:16, Rom. 6:4)

5. We believe that believers are to live a holy life, totally in line with God’s will as expressed in the Bible. (Matt. 5:48, Titus 2:11-15)

6. We believe that if we sin, we have an advocate (lawyer) with the Father, who is Jesus Christ, the righteous, and that if we will confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness by the blood of Christ. (I John 2:1, I John 1:7,9)

7. We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an enduement of power for the believer to be a witness in the world. We believe this experience is distinct from the gift of salvation, that salvation is not dependent upon this experience, but that it is the will of God for every believer. (Acts 1:4,5,8; Acts 2:1-4; Acts 8:12,14-17; Acts 10:44-48; Acts 19:1-6)

8. We believe in the ordinance of marriage as prescribed in the Bible. (Eph. 5:31)

9. We believe in healing for the physical body and authority over Satan and demons is provided through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and through the resurrection. (I Pet. 2:24, Eph. 1:15-23.

10. We believe in the future literal return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth and the resurrection of the dead. (I Thes. 4:14-17)

11. We believe that the local church is an institution ordained of God for the propagation of the Gospel, the teaching and training of the saints and a place where the love of God operates; that God has ordained leadership and and that they are to be respected as God’s vessels. (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:42, Eph. 4:11, I Thes. 5:12,13)

12. We believe in the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper as expressed in the Holy Bible, that the fruit of the vine represents the blood of Jesus shed for our sins and the bread represents the body of Christ. The Lord’s Supper should be taken in an attitude of reverence and repentance, and with a recognition of the entire Body of Christ, not just those of their own fellowship or those of likemindedness, but all those who Christ purchased with His blood at Calvary. (I Cor. 11:23-34)