TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission)

Statement of Faith [ Back to top ]

TEAM uses the following to express its Statement of Faith:

Members of TEAM see themselves as new creatures in Christ, who share in a deep love for Him, and, because of that love, are inspired to perpetuate His Church around the world. TEAM members wholeheartedly agree to the following Statement of Faith.

The Holy Scripture: We believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of man and the divine and final authority for all Christian faith, life, and conduct.

God and His Son, Jesus Christ: We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe Jesus Christ, without any change in His eternal deity, became man through conception by the Holy Spirit and virgin birth, that He died on the cross, a perfect and complete sacrifice, in our stead and for our sins according to the Scriptures. He arose bodily from the dead, and ascended into heaven where at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He is now our High Priest and Advocate.

The Holy Spirit: We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. And during this age, to convict of sin and regenerate the sinner upon believing in Christ. At the time of regeneration, baptizing the believer into the one body of which Christ is the Head; and to indwell, guide, instruct, fill, and empower the believer for godly living and service.

Sin: We believe man was created directly by God in His own image but fell into sin. The entire human race therefore, is lost and only by repenting, faith in Jesus Christ, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit, can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.

Atonement: We believe the atoning death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground of justification and salvation...for all who believe and that only those who receive Jesus Christ by personal faith are born of the Holy Spirit and by Him are sealed to the day of redemption.

Return of Christ: We believe in the personal, pre-millennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that the hope of His appearing has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer.

Resurrection of the Body: We believe in the bodily resurrection of all the dead, of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord, and of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting and conscious punishment.

The Church: We believe that the Church is composed of all people who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head.

Baptism, Lord's Supper: We believe that water baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church during this present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of salvation.

Living with Honor: We believe that all the saved should live in such manner as will honor and glorify and not bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord, and that it is commanded of God to remain separate from false doctrines and sinful pleasures, practices and associations.

Angels: We believe in the existence of angels who worship God and minister to believers.

Satan: We also believe in the existence of Satan, the devil, a fallen angelic being, who with his demons opposes God, His people, and His work, but over whom Christians can have spiritual victory.

History [ Back to top ]

TEAM's history begins with a young Swedish man who came to the United States in 1869. Fredrik Franson and his family settled on a farm in eastern Nebraska. The Fransons were dedicated Christians who had been members of the "free," non-state church of Sweden. Fredrik, however, hadn't experienced an authentic relationship with Christ.

After helping on the family farm for three years, Fredrik was struck with malaria and was unable to work for almost a year. During those days of inactivity, he read the Bible and searched for meaning in his life. His mother prayed for him and encouraged him, and eventually Fredrik came to a genuine relationship with the Savior.

Sensing the need for more training, Franson went to Chicago in 1876 hoping to meet the famous evangelist D.L. Moody. He became a part of the church founded by Moody and was trained by the evangelist as a counselor.

Franson eventually returned to Nebraska to minister to Scandinavian immigrants, but in 1879 he felt led to go to the Utah territory to minister to some 30,000 Swedish immigrants who had gone there for inexpensive land. Franson's evangelistic endeavors were broadened to include the Mormons who had recently arrived in the Utah territory.

Two years later Franson left for his homeland. While carrying on an extensive ministry in Europe, he heard the well-known missionary statesman, Hudson Taylor, challenge people to go to China with the gospel. From that encounter, Franson got a vision to form missionary sending agencies in various European countries, and before he left the continent, six such organizations had come into being. All six agencies continue to send out missionaries to this day.

After arriving back in America, Franson continued to preach. His desire to motivate others for cross-cultural missions led him to form a training class in Brooklyn, New York. His first class on October 14, 1890, is recognized as the "birthday" of TEAM, although the early name for the agency was "The Scandinavian Alliance Mission." This name reflected Franson's vision to bring churches together into an alliance enabling even small congregations to have a part in sending out missionaries. Classes were also initiated in Chicago, Minneapolis and Omaha. Soon a formal board of directors came into being, and on January 17, 1891, the first band of 35 missionaries boarded a train for the West Coast and eventually China.

Photographs of these early missionaries depict a dedicated group of people who chose to live and dress as the Chinese did. Other groups soon joined the first recruits, and Franson fervently challenged still more to go. In order to get to China, the early missionaries had to pass through Japan, and that soon became a new field for the mission. In a similar manner, by 1892, a small group also went to Swaziland in southern Africa. In 1906 T.J. Bach and his wife left for Venezuela, South America. Bach would later become TEAM's third General Director. In 1908, following one of his lengthy trips to the fields, Franson took several days off to rest at the home of some friends in Idaho Springs, Colorado. One morning his host tried to wake him for breakfast, but he had died during the night.

Franson left behind no family or estate. His legacy was a group of dedicated people whose desire was to take the gospel to all people. Franson's two passions-evangelism and church planting-continue to be the focus of TEAM's worldwide ministry.

As was true when Franson founded the mission, TEAM's purpose is to help churches send missionaries to establish reproducing churches in other nations to the glory of God.

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