Skip to content
NACM Manual to Ministry
  • Browse
    • About the Manual
    • About NACM
    • FAQ
    • Return to Fellowship
  • Bible, People, Facts
    • Minister Summary of the New Testament for Pastors
  • Theology
  • Ministerial Practice
  • Resources

Doctrine and Theology

Browse the NACM Manual to Ministry, a living reference equipping Christian ministers with biblical foundations, doctrine, leadership, and ministry resources.



Core Doctrines of the Christian Faith

Doctrine and Theology serve as the theological foundation of Christian belief. This section provides an organized gateway to the Church’s core doctrinal teachings, guiding ministers, students, and teachers to deeper study through focused doctrinal categories.

  • Christian Doctrine
  • Theism
  • Apologetics
  • Heresy in Christian Theology
  • Ethics
  • Philosophy
  • Hermeneutics
    Hermeneutics provides the theological and methodological principles by which Scripture is interpreted, forming the foundation for exegesis, doctrine, preaching, and all faithful ministry practice.
  • Church History and Historical Theology
  • Christian Ministry Terms and Theological Definitions
  • Answers to Controversies in the Bible

Each subcategory explores a specific area of theological study, helping readers understand Scripture faithfully, articulate sound doctrine, and engage complex theological questions with clarity and discernment.

Gentiles (Term) Defined

In Evangelical Protestant theology, the term Gentiles refers to the nations other than Israel, that is, people who are not ethnically Jewish and not covenantally identified with the historic people of Israel under the Old Testament administration. The term carries both an ethnic and a redemptive-historical …

Read more

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
Flip
Email
Categories Christian Ministry Terms and Theological Definitions Explained

Martyr (Term) Defined

In Evangelical Protestant theology, a martyr is a believer in Jesus Christ who remains faithful to the gospel under persecution, even to the point of death. The term carries the sense of witness, because the martyr bears testimony to Christ by steadfast confession, suffering, and endurance. …

Read more

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
Flip
Email
Categories Christian Ministry Terms and Theological Definitions Explained

Orthodoxy (Term) Defined

Orthodoxy, from the perspective of Evangelical Protestant theology, refers to right belief that conforms to the truth God has revealed in Holy Scripture. It is not merely adherence to inherited tradition, nor is it a bare intellectual agreement with doctrinal formulas. Rather, orthodoxy is the faithful …

Read more

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
Flip
Email
Categories Christian Ministry Terms and Theological Definitions Explained

Sanctification (Term) Defined

Sanctification, in Evangelical Protestant theology, is the gracious work of the triune God by which believers are set apart unto God, renewed in the inner person, and progressively conformed to the moral likeness of Jesus Christ. The term carries both a definitive and a progressive sense …

Read more

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
Flip
Email
Categories Christian Ministry Terms and Theological Definitions Explained

Justification (Term) Defined

Justification is the gracious judicial act of God by which He declares sinners righteous in His sight through faith in Jesus Christ. In Evangelical Protestant theology, justification is not a process of moral improvement, nor is it the infusion of righteousness into the believer as an …

Read more

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
Flip
Email
Categories Christian Ministry Terms and Theological Definitions Explained

Heresy (Term) Defined

In Evangelical Protestant theology, heresy is the persistent denial, distortion, or replacement of essential biblical doctrine in a way that corrupts the gospel and misrepresents the God who has revealed himself in Scripture. Heresy is not merely a secondary disagreement among sincere Christians, nor is it …

Read more

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
Flip
Email
Categories Christian Ministry Terms and Theological Definitions Explained
the Lords Supper

Communion: Theology, Practice, and Pastoral Stewardship

Introduction to the Lord’s Supper Communion, also called the Lord’s Supper, stands at the theological and pastoral center of Christian ministry. Instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ on the night He was betrayed, this sacred ordinance embodies the gospel in visible form. It unites proclamation, remembrance, …

Read more

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
Flip
Email
Categories Christian Doctrine
The doctrine of hell occupies a sobering yet necessary place within Evangelical Christian theology. It cannot be dismissed as peripheral because it is interwoven with the holiness of God, the justice of God, the atonement of Christ, and the urgency of the Great Commission.

The Evangelical Christian Doctrine of Hell

The doctrine of hell occupies a sobering yet necessary place within Evangelical Christian theology. It cannot be dismissed as peripheral because it is interwoven with the holiness of God, the justice of God, the atonement of Christ, and the urgency of the Great Commission. Evangelicals affirm …

Read more

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
Flip
Email
Categories Christian Doctrine

Anthropological Approach to Christology

Anthropological Approach to Christology refers to a method of understanding the person of Jesus Christ that begins with His humanity rather than His preexistent divinity. This approach analyzes Christ from the standpoint of human experience, historical context, and existential reality. Instead of starting with the eternal …

Read more

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
Flip
Email
Categories Christian Doctrine

Ontological Trinity (Term) Defined

The term Ontological Trinity refers to the eternal being of God in Himself, independent of creation and redemption. It describes the one divine essence subsisting eternally in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The word ontological derives from ontology, the study of being. When …

Read more

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
Flip
Email
Categories Christian Ministry Terms and Theological Definitions Explained

“To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ”  (Eph 4:12).

This is the official Manual to Ministry of the National Association of Christian Ministers.  Articles are added weekly.

Nothing on this site is offered for sale, profit, donation, or advertised.  This Publication is offered to the public for free to encourage the academic study of Christianity (2 Tim. 2:15).

Our statement of faith is located here.

National Association of Christian Ministers.  US Registered Service Mark.  All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2024.

What is the National Association of Christian Ministers?

A professional association of Christian Ministers with the vision to answer His call to Advance the Gospel and Unite the Body of Christ (John 17:23).  Learn more at https://nacministers.com/

© 2026 NACM Manual to Ministry • Built with GeneratePress

Copyright Notice.

All Rights Reserved.

All material appearing on the NACM Manual to Ministry website ("content") is protected by copyright under U.S. Copyright laws and is the property of NACM Manual to Ministry. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, display, perform, modify, create derivative works, transmit, or in any way exploit any such content, nor may you distribute any part of this content over any network, including a local area network, sell or offer it for sale, or use such content to construct any kind of database.