The 2026 Declaration of Principles
Preface (Revised and Updated)
The Executive Council has recommended that the 2026 Declaration of Principles be brought before the delegate body at the 2026 Triennial convention (8/16-8/20). I stand amazed by what God has brought about in the span of less than a year since this effort began - our God moves mountains.
You should know that the text of the proposed declaration has been revised from the version I first presented; you can see the article and original version I posted here. Though I believe the original had its merits, I am grateful for my work with the task force and the Executive Council that produced this revised version. The preamble that was formulated by the task force is excellent in addressing concerns otherwise articulated in the original. While principles 3 and 4 no longer explicitly reference the creeds, the doctrine articulated there is in complete agreement with them and will benefit those unfamiliar with the content of the creeds. I believe the revisions elsewhere (e.g. 7 and 9) are better suited for both honoring historical Advent Christian convictions and welcoming tolerable differences on those counts in the spirit of true Adventism. I have revised the remaining preface in light of these later developments.
The proposal of the 2026 Declaration of Principles follows a series of articles I published in the past 12 months: An Invitation to Advent Christian Renewal; Adventism’s Regrettable Divorce; and To Reckon and To Answer: God’s Call Upon Advent Christians. For those new to the conversation, these posts will help you understand the movement behind this proposal.
My goal is that this new Declaration of Principles would be adopted by the Advent Christian delegate body at the 2026 ACGC Triennial Convention. I have felt compelled to move with urgency in making this proposal and believe that delaying until 2029 might mean some significant loss of opportunity to stem the tide of our denominational decline. I am proposing a whole cloth replacement of the current form of the DOP. There is precedent for this as the 1900 DOP was a whole cloth replacement of the 1881 DOP. [provision of these texts accredited to Bob Mayer’s book, Adventism Confronts Modernity…]
The aim of introducing this new DOP is to establish a clear sense of Advent Christian identity in the 21st century and thereby provide a clear standard for membership in the denomination (regions, conferences, churches, and ministers) and a renewed sense of our purpose. Notably, the 2026 DOP would it make clear that we mean to stand squarely on the essentials of the Christian faith, affirming the content contained in the basic creeds of Christian orthodoxy, while remaining unapologetically devoted to a clear articulation of the Christian hope fixed upon Christ's return, a commitment that drives us forward in the Gospel mission to the ends of the earth.
Other notable changes include open-handedness on the intermediate state except to insist that our hope is resurrection, not disembodiment; open-handedness on the nature of the final punishment (annihilation or eternal torment) while denying universalism; a clear move away from end times speculation, denying we can "approximate" the time of Christ's return; clear statements that our churches/pastors welcome denominational accountability in maintaining these standards among other things; a clearer statement on our position regarding war, not pretending to be pacifist but continuing to privilege those who might conscientiously object.
These are some significant changes, but I believe this version of the DOP maintains some of the critical insights from our past regarding human nature (we are not inherently immortal and we are created to be embodied beings) and the ultimate importance of Christ's return for God's redemptive mission. I'm hopeful it will enable the people who may join our churches or who are already members to more readily identify as Advent Christian and that this will also help us in recruiting and integrating outside pastors into the denomination.
This version of the DOP introduces a traditional affirmation/denial pattern, the benefit of this being that it is both succinct and yet comprehensive; you will find this pattern used in the Nashville Statement endorsed under the Advent Christian Statement on Human Sexuality. I intend to produce a complete commentary on the 2026 DOP to hopefully address any questions that may arise requiring clarification. Along those lines, I have prepared an “Enduring Resolution on the Intermediate State and the Final Punishment “ which has likewise been recommended to appear before the delegate body by the Executive Council. You can read that resolution by clicking here. I will promote and offer further comment on this enduring resolution separately but offer it now to enhance your comprehension of the 2026 DOP.
Preamble
The Advent Christian Declaration of Principles is intended to provide a clear standard for membership in the denomination among regions, conferences, churches, and ministers. It is not a complete summary of everything Advent Christians believe. It is also not meant to serve as a statement of beliefs required for individual membership in an Advent Christian church. Members are often welcomed without agreeing to all the articles here. We recommend this declaration to all seekers of truth; it being both thorough in general theological conviction as well as faithful to the traditional distinctive teachings of our denomination. It reflects our theological heritage. We care about this document because the gospel we preach is the gospel of eternal life only through Christ.
We affirm that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God, being in its entirety God’s revelation given to humanity under divine inspiration and providence; that its historic statements are correct, and that it is the only divine standard of faith and practice.
We deny that the authority of God’s Word - the Bible - and the truth of its testimony can ever be overturned, superseded, or added upon by any claims of new revelation or the supposed wisdom of human knowledge.
We affirm the clarity of Scripture: that all things necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation are set forth clearly in Scripture, and that, as far as the meaning of the text can be understood, Christians should seek to be of one mind in the Spirit and uphold such teachings as authoritative.
We deny that human fallibility places the true meaning of the biblical text beyond reach; that the presence of differing interpretations indicates this; or that Christians must agree on every matter of the faith to share in one fellowship.
We affirm that God is one in being and three in person, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that these three persons are fully divine and co-equal, of one substance, power, and eternity, and with one will; and that the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son.
We deny that these persons are three gods; that these persons are only three different manifestations of God; or that any of the persons are eternally subordinate to each other.
We affirm that the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, being very and eternal God, of one substance and equal with the Father and the Spirit, took upon himself a human nature, with all the essential properties and common infirmities belonging to it, yet without sin; that the person of Jesus Christ is one person with two distinct natures, fully God and fully man, possessing the true divine will and a true human will.
We deny that Christ becomes two persons in possessing a divine nature and a human nature; that these two natures are combined into one new nature; that Christ’s body was a mere shell for his inner divinity; or that the exaltation of his human nature would indicate the absence of his divine nature.
We affirm that God alone is immortal; that God created human beings as creatures with mortal natures who could yet receive and enjoy eternal life with God; that through sin they forfeited this divine birthright; and that because of sin they can only be restored to life with God by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, resulting in a life of repentance from sin and consecration to the Lord.
We deny that human beings are inherently immortal or that God could be compelled to maintain human existence in opposition to his divine will.
We affirm that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the eternal Son of God who took on human flesh; that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and lived a sinless life under the Law; that in his death on the cross he offered himself unto God as our substitute, making of himself the only sufficient sacrifice for the atonement of human sin; that Christ, having been bodily raised for our justification, has conquered sin, death, and the devil; that he has ascended to the right hand of the Father to present himself as the Lamb who was slain; that he presently intercedes for us as our Great High Priest; that both the Father and the Son have sent the Holy Spirit upon the Church to apply salvation and the benefits thereof unto her; and that the work of this salvation will be fully revealed upon the day of Christ’s return.
We deny that there can be any salvation apart from the work of Christ alone or that there is any hope of salvation based upon human works, religious or otherwise.
We affirm that death is the consequence of sin, depriving human beings of the life for which they were created; and that the belief in the sleep of the dead, historically held by Advent Christians, is within sound biblical reason.
We deny that God created human beings to live apart from the body; that the dead in Christ have already been completely restored; and that those who have died apart from Christ have already received their final punishment.
We affirm that in accordance with his promise, Jesus Christ will come again to this earth, even “in like manner” as he went into heaven – personally, visibly and gloriously – to reign here forever; and that this coming is the hope of the church, inasmuch as upon that coming depend the resurrection and reward of the righteous, the abolition of sin and its consequences, and the renewal of the entire cosmos, both the heavens and the earth – now marred by sin – to become the eternal home of the redeemed, after which event the earth will be forever free from sin and death.
We deny that there is any hope for the living or the dead apart from Christ’s return and the resurrection of the dead.
We affirm that the final judgment of all people awaits the resurrection of the dead at Christ’s Second Coming; that those who belong to Christ will live eternally with God in the new heavens and new earth; and that those outside of Christ will be condemned to the Second Death and will perish in the lake of fire.
We deny that anyone condemned to this final punishment will be given another opportunity for salvation.
We affirm that the Church is the Body of Christ; that it is an institution of divine origin, which includes all true Christians; that the Church visibly manifests itself in local congregations of believers; that these local churches are governed under the authority of Christ, with congregational involvement and biblical patterns of leadership such as elders and deacons; and that these churches should freely covenant together, agreeing to uphold standards common to the whole.
We deny that the liberties and prerogatives of the local church would preclude cooperation with a denominational body in maintaining such freely agreed-upon standards of membership.We affirm that the only ordinances of the Church are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; that only those who have faith in Christ should be baptized, baptism taking the mode of immersion whenever possible.
We deny that baptism must be repeated for any who have been truly baptized and possess this faith.
We affirm that the first day of the week, as the day set apart by the early church in commemoration of Christ’s resurrection, should be observed as the Lord’s Day; that in the freedom of the Spirit it should be used as a day for Christian worship and fellowship.
We deny that any continued practice of taking a Sabbath rest should be observed as though we remain under the Law.
We affirm that as servants of Jesus Christ, we have been commanded to be found ready at all times for his return, steadfastly pursuing personal holiness and the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
We deny that readiness entails speculating about the approximate time of Christ’s “soon” return.We affirm that the Bible teaches that properly constituted governments are ordained of God and are divine instruments for the welfare and protection of humanity, even as we await perfect justice and everlasting peace to be established in the coming Kingdom of God.
We deny that every war is just or that anyone should be compelled to take up
arms in violation of their conscience.
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.