Statement of Faith

What we believe

• The Sacred Source: we believe in a loving, healing Divine Presence, known by many names across many traditions, and we do not require adherence to any single theology beyond a shared commitment to healing, compassion, and service.
• The sacredness of all life: every person, creature, and element of the Earth is sacred and interconnected, and we are called to walk gently and serve humbly.
• Mother Earth as sacred teacher: we honor the Earth as a living, conscious teacher and commit to protecting and honoring her in our healing work.
• The divine nature of healing: healing is a sacred gift, not a commodity, and our ministers serve as vessels and facilitators of that gift, not as its source.
• Energy, vibration, and consciousness: our healing work moves through intention, frequency, sound, light, touch, and prayer.
• Sanctified healing as sacred ministry: our ministers offer prayer, blessing, and ceremonial healing practices as a religious and clerical function, distinct from and not a substitute for secular medicine.
• Personal autonomy and informed choice: every person has the right to choose their own healing path, and we never coerce or pressure any member toward or away from a particular modality.
• Community, compassion, and service: we gather to worship, learn, and support one another, and we commit to transparency and ethical practice.
• Ordination as sacred covenant: ordained ministers undertake training in healing arts, ethics, and sacred service as a lifelong calling and discipline.

The body as temple

We believe the human body is sacred, and that personal care decisions are matters of faith and conscience. We affirm the sanctity of life and every person's right to informed consent, to seek second opinions, and to make healthcare choices in keeping with their faith, in consultation with their own licensed providers.

We describe these beliefs here for education and reflection, not as legal advice. We do not promise any specific legal outcome, and no one should rely on this page as legal advice about their own situation; see our Disclaimer.

Sacred practices and ceremonies

IOSHA practices and teaches prayer, laying-on-of-hands, energy and sound healing, breathwork, sacred ceremony, and related modalities as acts of worship and devotion, not as medical treatment. We also perform ordinations, blessings, weddings, and other sacred rites.

Who we welcome

IOSHA welcomes spiritual seekers, energy healers and holistic practitioners, Indigenous and Earth-based healers, interfaith ministers, and anyone called to healing ministry, regardless of background. We do not require adherence to a specific creed beyond a shared commitment to healing, compassion, and service, and we honor ordinations and credentials from other legitimate religious bodies.

Ecclesiastical authority

IOSHA is organized as a self-governing, non-denominational free church with the ecclesiastical authority to ordain and credential ministers, charter integrated auxiliaries, hold worship and healing ceremonies, and receive tithes and offerings. Our ministers may attest to the sincerity of a member's religious beliefs and provide spiritual counseling regarding matters of faith and conscience. Nothing here is a guarantee of any particular legal, tax, or medical outcome for any individual.

For details on what IOSHA does and does not promise, see our full Disclaimer.