Mission statement

The purpose of Team Ministries is to communicate the message of the gospel primarily by means of original contemporary biblically-based drama. As a touring group, we go where opportunities appear, both within and outside the four walls of the local church. We try to minimize the use of Christian jargon when ministering to unbelievers, and always endeavor to find a fresh way of presenting biblical truths to believers. We heartily support and encourage the ministry of the local church.

Undergirding this is the maintenance of a healthy climate of harmony, forgiveness, discipleship, community, and servanthood within our ministry. The spiritual health and personal growth of members of our Team is prioritized above any external ministry. It's our conviction that our greatest ministry will be the training and discipling of those who commit to a missionary term with "The Team."

Team Ministries Statement of Faith*

*a 1981 document based on the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Statement of Faith

We believe that:

1. The Bible is inspired of God, hence free from error, and constitutes the only infallible guide in faith and practice.

2. There is one God, the Creator and Preserver of all things, infinite in being and perfection. He exists eternally in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are of one substance and equal in power and glory.

3. Man, created in the image of God, through disobedience fell from his sinless state at the suggestion of Satan. This fall plunged man into a state of sin and spiritual death, and brought upon the entire race the sentence of eternal death. From this condition man can be saved only by the grace of God, through faith, on the basis of the work of Christ, and by the agency of the Holy Spirit.

4. The eternally pre-existent Son became incarnate without human father, by being born of the virgin Mary. Thus, in the Lord Jesus Christ, divine and human natures were united in one Person, both natures being whole, perfect, and distinct. To effect salvation, He lived a sinless life and died on the cross as the sinner's substitute, shedding His blood for the remission of sins. On the third day He rose from the dead in the body which had been laid in the tomb. He ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He performs the ministry of intercession. He shall come again, personally and visibly, to complete His saving work and to consummate the eternal plan of God.

5. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the triune God. He applies to man the work of Christ. By justification and adoption, man is given a right standing before God; by regeneration, sanctification, and glorification, man's nature is renewed.

6. The believer, having turned to God in penitent faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is accountable to God for living a life separated from sin and characterized by the fruit of the Spirit. It is his or her responsibility to contribute by word and deed to the universal spread of the Gospel.

7. At the end of the age, the bodies of the dead shall be raised. The righteous shall enter into full possession of eternal bliss in the presence of God, and the wicked shall be condemned to eternal death.

[Excerpted from our 1990 production Julie, about a teenager's Christian commitment. Julie's life impacted everyone around her, even as she herself struggled at times to find the answers.]

AMY: Julie, you bring the Ben & Jerry's?

ERIN: [excited] You brought Ben & Jerry's?

JULIE: Hey, the "Three Amigas" go first class.

ERIN: You bring Chunky Monkey?

AMY: What's a "Chunky Monkey"?

ERIN: It's Tiffany, two weeks off diet pills.

JULIE: She take diet pills?

ERIN: I heard she's anorexic. She goes into the bathroom, and -- [indicates, with finger down throat.]

AMY: Stop it. That's gross.

JULIE: Of course it's gross. If it wasn't gross --

TOGETHER: [chant] It wouldn't be Tiffany! [they laugh]

JULIE: It seems if Tiffany moved, we'd have nothing to talk about.

AMY: Leave her alone. She has her problems.

JULIE: [a little down] Who doesn't?

ERIN: I'm sorry about you and Jeff.

JULIE: What can I say? It happened. Better now than later. I mean, we even talked about getting married. That was dumb -- with me going away to school. I thought he was a Christian.

AMY: He is. He's just mixed up. Guys never know what they want.

JULIE: Now there's an argument for platonic relationships.

AMY: Whatever.

JULIE: Now he sends me this sob letter. Too late, Jeff. You had your chance.

"Julie" cast, 1991 (Julie's parents, center; boyfriend Jeff, lower right) *** The Three Amigas - (from top) Erin, Julie, Amy