Mission & BELIEFS

Niner United strives to be UNC Charlotte’s voice of hope and an inclusive ministry that welcomes everyone. We are an open and affirming campus ministry, rooted in the enduring truths of the Christian faith as taught by the Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and United Methodist traditions. Here’s a glimpse into the foundational teachings that guide us:

• God > We believe in one God revealed in the beautiful, mysterious Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is one, boundless in power and wisdom, pouring out justice, goodness, and love that doesn’t quit, a love that chases us, a love that doesn’t have conditions. God is not distant; instead, He is a God who insists on relationships, drawing near even in our brokenness, revealing Himself in the paradox of vulnerability and power.
• Jesus > At the center of it all is Jesus. The Son of God. Savior. Lord. Fully God, fully human, with hands and feet and a heartbeat. He walked among us and showed us what love looks like in flesh and blood. Jesus didn’t just come to save individual souls but to create a new people. This community embodies His way of love in the world, even when it contradicts the world’s values. He extended this invitation to grace, freedom, and salvation through His life, death, and resurrection. We don’t earn it; we just receive it.
• The Holy Spirit > The Holy Spirit is God’s presence at work, stirring, moving, speaking, and guiding. This Spirit is the breath of grace, alive in us and around us, changing things in ways we sometimes only see in glimpses. The Spirit is not a vague force but God Himself, continually recreating us, drawing us into love, and shaping us into the likeness of Christ.
• The Bible > The Bible matters and is the story, guide, and Word of God that speaks right into our lives. Scripture invites us into the messy, human story of God’s people—a story of questions, tensions, and even doubts—reminding us that faith is not certainty but trust. It centers us, shapes us, and calls us to what’s true.
• Church > At Niner United, we’re not alone. We’re part of something vast, this universal church that’s alive and moving. We’re meant to link arms with other Christians, sharing this love that God has shown us in deep solidarity with the world’s suffering.
• Sacraments > Baptism and the Eucharist are the sacraments of the church. Baptism marks us as part of the community of faith that helps to form our faith into living for God’s purposes. Communion (the Eucharist)—bread and wine, is the meal that connects us to Jesus, His body and blood, His sacrifice, His life poured out for us. In the Eucharist, we are gathered and shaped as Christ’s body, sent out to be broken and poured out for others.
• Salvation > We believe that salvation is found in Jesus, not in any good we do or in any ladder we try to climb. It’s grace, and it’s grace alone. Faith consists of free will and includes the humbling responsibility to respond to God’s love and to let it transform us from the inside out. This grace welcomes the misfits, the broken, the sinners—grace meets us exactly where we are and refuses to leave us there.
• Sin & Forgiveness  > Sin is real, but so is reconciliation, and so is restoration. We’re a people of grace, a people of hope, called to open our hearts and our lives to God’s inclusive, relentless love. Jesus forgives us of our sins but also demands that we forgive each other, bear each other’s burdens, and live in ways that bear witness to his love.