Who We Are

OUR NAME

In the Bible, the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:20,

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

Our movement of campus ministries finds its identity in this passage. We believe that God longs to have each and every person be reconciled to Himself, and that the way that re-connection happens is through the representation of his people. Each of us who takes on the identity of “Christian” becomes Christ’s ambassador—or christou apostoloi in Greek, which we shorten to the first letters “Chi” and “Alpha,” or XA. Our name is our constant reminder that each of us has a real part to play in this world. We each can carry Him within us to bring Him closer to the people around us.

WHO WE’RE SPONSORED BY

Chi Alpha is sponsored by the Assemblies of God (AG). That means the AG provides each local campus with support, resources and connectivity to a larger worldwide movement. They also work to equip the leaders of each local XA, both the vocational missionaries associated with each group and the student leaders.

The sponsorship by the Assemblies of God does not mean that you have to have a history with the AG. You don’t have to have any particular denominational connection to be welcomed in our groups.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

  1. We believe the Bible is God’s message to us, so we seek to understand and obey its truth.
  2. We believe there is one God who is three persons, so we yearn to know Him in all of His complexity and beauty.
  3. We believe Jesus is fully God and fully human, so we rejoice that Christ can be a bridge between us and God.
  4. We believe people throughout history have sinned against God, so we are deeply aware that we too are marked by willful disobedience.
  5. We believe God extends forgiveness to us through Christ, so we repent and rejoice in our forgiveness.
  6. We believe God offers freedom from sin’s grasp, so we live lives that are pleasing to God.
  7. We believe followers of Jesus must be empowered by the Holy Spirit, so we expect supernatural power in our daily lives.
  8. We believe that God can heal both the body and the heart, so we pray with faith and hope.
  9. We believe a mark of surrender to the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues, so we pray that God would grant us this supernatural gift.
  10. We believe  in the Church, so we live in this community of faith, inviting others to join us.
  11. We believe God gives leaders as gifts to His Church, so we serve those whom the Lord entrusts to us.
  12. We believe God commands his followers to celebrate communion and baptism, so we practice these symbolic actions, reflecting on their significance.
  13. We believe Jesus will return to claim His Church, so we live in expectancy of His coming.
  14. We believe Christ will one day be seen clearly as King on earth, so we live as citizens of His Kingdom now.
  15. We believe God is the ultimate Judge, so we live knowing that our choices will echo through eternity.
  16. We believe we will live with God forever, so we live with hope regardless of our circumstances.

For more details, see the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God.