Our Spiritual Pillars

These Spiritual Pillars express the distinctive characteristics of our Fellowship. They are the “thrust lines” we use to test the appropriateness of all of our programs and actions. They guide us as we seek to act in obedience to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in all our ministries. He is the cornerstone of OCF, and His Word is the source of these declarations.

1. Centering on Scripture. We believe the Bible is God’s Word written and stress the importance of studying and applying its teachings both individually and corporately. The Scriptures are the authority for our faith and conduct. Since 1943, thousands of individuals have committed their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ through the witness of OCF people, and tens of thousands more have been equipped and encouraged to integrate their faith into their personal, family, and professional relationships and duties.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

2. Uniting for Fellowship. We consider authentic biblical fellowship essential for individual growth and the advancement of God’s Kingdom within the military. This fellowship occurs in many contexts: one-on-one, in small groups, as part of a local conference, or at OCF’s conference centers. As a relational ministry, we believe the inevitable outgrowth of such deep and meaningful fellowship with the Lord Jesus and with one another will be visible, dynamic works of service and witness that glorify Him.
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

3. Engaging in Prayer. We recognize our dependence on the Holy Spirit and are committed to pray. From its inception, OCF has emphasized the importance of praying members and of local fellowships that recognize their dependence upon prayer. OCF people must draw near to God day by day so that His Spirit will provide the qualities of heart, mind, and spirit they need to accomplish His work through them in the armed forces. The biblical principle of “Pray, Discover, and Obey” is central to this process.
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:3-5).

4. Lay-led. We are a lay-led movement of Christian officers within the U.S. Armed Forces. The central thrust of OCF is to motivate, equip, and support active duty, reserve component, and retired officers of all branches, and their spouses, to lead dynamic, Christ-centered ministries of outreach and service throughout the armed forces. While we gladly embrace the participation of military chaplains and other ordained individuals, we seek to capitalize upon the unique opportunity God gives to all officers to witness to and spiritually encourage their comrades-in-arms in the military society. The staff is kept relatively small, with a primary focus on motivating, equipping, and supporting the members who are Christ’s ambassadors in military communities.
“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor” (1 Peter 2:13-17).

5. Integrating Faith and Profession. We call Christian officers to integrate biblical standards of excellence into their professional responsibilities. OCF recognizes and affirms the unique responsibilities, expertise, and ethical values of the officer corps. We affirm an officer’s adherence to his oath of commissioning. We believe that devotion to duty is both an appropriate biblical imperative and a means of establishing credibility to speak to other military members about spiritual matters.
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him… Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:17, 23-24).

6. Nurturing the Family. We are committed to encouraging, supporting, and assisting military families as they implement the biblical principles of marriage and parenthood. The Christian family is the basic worshiping unit of the Church. Military life places unique demands on families even in its routine duties. Field training, TDY, deployments, frequent moves, and the dangers inherent in training and operations amplify this stress. Thus OCF helps husbands and wives grow in their marital relationships, and it helps them as parents to build vibrant, healthy Christian families that glorify God, contribute to increased military readiness, and provide a powerful witness within the military.
“Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity” (1 Timothy 5:1-2).

7. Equipping to Serve. We are committed to the spiritual development of each person in our movement by helping him or her in ways that find expression in godly service and outreach to the military. OCF communicates about opportunities for personal ministry to its members, to their family members, and also to other believers in the military society. And OCF teaches, equips, encourages and supports members and their families in such ministries.
“So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:8).

8. Supporting the Chaplaincy. We seek to support and encourage chaplains. Local or ship-based chapel activities offer prime venues for Christ-centered outreach and service to a military community. OCF acknowledges the chaplain’s responsibility for and authority in local Command Religious Programs. Thus we support chapel-sponsored and workplace ministry activities through prayer, encouragement, and participation. By cooperating with and assisting chaplains and lay leaders, we seek to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the entire military society.
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Hebrews 13:17).

What We Believe

• We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• We believe that the Old and New Testaments as originally written are the verbally inspired Word of God, and accept them as the supreme and all-sufficient authority in faith and life.
• We believe that man was created in the image of God, but that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death which is eternal separation from God; and that each human being is born with a sinful nature and cannot by his own efforts please God.
• We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born of the Virgin Mary and is true God and true man.
• We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins as our vicarious sacrifice in accordance with the Scripture, and that all who believe in Him are cleansed of their sins by His shed blood and are justified before God.
• We believe that all who by faith receive the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and so become the children of God, to live with Him through all eternity.
• We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into heaven, and in His present life there as our High Priest and Advocate.
• We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust; the eternal blessedness of the saved; and the everlasting, conscious punishment of the lost.
• We believe in the personal, visible and glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth.