A doctrinal statement helps the leadership team stay on the same page.
Publishing a public
doctrinal statement helps people know who you are and what you believe.
Not exact matches
If we believe that the Holy Spirit has
helped guide Christians of the past to know and understand the truth of Scripture, then
doctrinal statements can
help us in our own understanding and interpretation of Scripture.
Similarly, other points from
doctrinal statements often represent key teachings from Scripture and can
help guide our own study into Scripture, keeping us within the
doctrinal boundaries of Christians from the past (See The Shape of Sola Scriptura for more on this idea).
On the contrary, the meaning of
doctrinal statements such as the creeds and other historical professions of belief, the circumstances which evoked them, and the philosophical presuppositions which
helped to determine the character of their assertions are all matters of the greatest interest and importance.
All of these are valuable within the life of believers, but there are a few things that the church can do to
help make preaching,
doctrinal statements, prayer meetings, and evangelism more effective for the mission of the church.
One concept that really
helps grasp the concept of living and ministering without
doctrinal statements is idea of bounded and centered sets.
A
doctrinal statement is developed that
helps us get rid of those who disagree.