WHAT WE BELIEVE
We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God. The Word of God is without error, infallible, and the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Holy Bible are the complete and divine revelation of God to mankind.
Bible References: 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:20, 21
CORE BELIEFS
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The Bible is the infallible Word of God and the authority for salvation and Christian living. (See II Timothy 3:15-17.)
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There is only one God. The One God has revealed Himself to us as our Father, in His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that is, the One God manifested in and through an authentic human life. The fullness of the godhead dwells in Jesus bodily. To see Jesus is to see God. (Deut 6.4; John 14.9; Eph 4.4-6; Col 2.9; 1 Tim 3.16).
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Everyone has sinned and needs salvation. Salvation comes by grace through faith based on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. (See Romans 3:23-25; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9.)
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The gospel is the good news that Jesus lived a perfect life, died for our sins, was buried, and rose again three days later. We express our belief in the gospel through our obedience to the gospel. We obey the gospel and apply it to our lives by repenting of our sins (death to sin), being baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins (burial), and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit (resurrection) with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues. This threefold experience is the consistent pattern of conversion in the early church (1 Cor 15.1-4; 2 Thes 1.8; 1 Pet 4.17; Mark 1.15; Acts 15.7; Rom 6.3-4; Acts 2.4, 37-39; 8.9-17; 10.1-48; 19.1-7).
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As Christians we are to love God and love others. We are to worship God joyfully and seek to live a life that is pleasing to him both inwardly and outwardly—in our thoughts, words, and actions. We are empowered to live a life pleasing to God through the Holy Spirit. As a Pentecostal church, we believe that the supernatural gifts of the Spirit are at work in and for the church today and are available to all Spirit-filled believers (Mark 12.28-31; 1 Cor 12.8-10; 2 Cor 7.1; Rom 8.13-14; Gal 5.19-26; Heb 12.14).
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Jesus Christ is coming again to rapture his church. In the end will be the final resurrection and the final judgment. The righteous will inherit eternal life in heaven with Jesus Christ, and the unrighteous eternal death. (1 Thes 4.16-17; Rev 20.11-15).
Our STORY
After returning from a mission trip to Ethiopia, Pastor Paul Kaufmann received a call from the Lord to plant a church in Oviedo, Florida. The Kaufmann family (Paul, Karen, Matthew and Lauren) moved from Gaithersburg Maryland where Pastor Paul was Associate Pastor under the leadership of R. E. Libby, to Oviedo Florida and began holding services in their home in 1996.
The first parcel of property to establish a permanent address for the church to worship was in 1997. In 2007 a second building was dedicated as a sanctuary for worship. In 2017 a third parcel of adjacent property was acquired with site infrastructure completed in 2020 for future growth of Christian Life Center (CLC).
What began in their home in 1996, has grown into a thriving multicultural church. Through the work of the Kaufmann family and many others Christian Life has a multi-building campus in the heart of Oviedo, Florida.
When it was needful for the succession planning to evolve, these church planters prayerfully guided a transition for continued growth for the kingdom. In January 2025, Rev. Bill Hobson was elected Pastor. During 2025, Bill and his wife, Shawna, commuted from St. Louis, Missouri, to Oviedo while he simultaneously served as General Secretary of North American Missions for the United Pentecostal Church and Pastor of Christian Life. In January 2026, the Hobsons completed their role with North American Missions, allowing them to be fully onsite and singularly focused on serving the church and community in Central Florida.