The C&MA affirms the literal virginal conception and birth of Jesus Christ, holding this doctrine as essential to Christian faith and not merely a pious legend. Mary, a virgin, conceived and bore the Son of God through the supernatural agency of the Holy Spirit. This doctrine is found in the C&MA Statement of Faith and is affirmed by all C&MA churches and institutions.

The virgin birth is significant for several theological reasons within C&MA understanding: it attests to the divine nature of Christ (God himself entering human history), it emphasizes the complete transcendence of the incarnation (not merely a human birth but a divine act), and it highlights Mary's unique role in salvation history. The C&MA neither exalts Mary as divine nor deifies her, but honors her as the chosen vessel through whom God became man.

The virginal conception is also understood as congruent with Christ's sinlessness and his unique status as God incarnate. While the C&MA recognizes that some Christian traditions differ on Mary's perpetual virginity (the C&MA does not require this belief), it consistently affirms the biological reality of her virginity at Jesus' conception and birth.