Who We Are
Baptist Distinctive - The following traditional Baptist distinctive has given churches their identity and continues to characterize their beliefs and practices. Baptists alone, however, do not hold these views. Most Christian churches will accept several of these distinctive, but these are all common among Baptist churches.
A regenerate Church Membership - We teach that the membership of the church is open only to those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Freedom of Conscience - We promote religious freedom for all with the right to believe or not to believe according to conscience. This includes the right to interpret scripture according to conscience.
The Priesthood of all Believers - We believe that all Christians form the priesthood of Christ, even when some Christians are called to leadership roles in the Church. The ministry is the responsibility of all Christians whether ordained or not.
Believers Baptism by Immersion - We practice baptism only upon profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and we adopt immersion as the appropriate mode of baptism.
Congregation Form of Church Government - We practice a form of church government in which the congregation, by vote, chooses its own ministers, adopts its own budget, establishes its own ministry goals, and sets forth its own procedures of practice. Every member can express his or her views in our congregational meetings, but we agree to abide by the majority vote of church members.
Autonomy of the Local Church - Baptist churches are independent of each other organizationally and they perform their various ministries without outside interference from denominational leadership. We voluntarily choose to cooperate with many other churches (called Transformation Ministries) for accomplishing our mission in the world and for Christian fellowship.
Separation of Church and State - We believe that the state should not dictate policy to the church and that the church should do the same. We have the right as individual citizens to vote and participate in our government, but we do not advocate that the Church involve itself in politics and we do not accept that the State can dictate to the Church what its message or ministries ought to be.
The Authority of the Bible - We accept the authority of the Bible in all matters of faith and conduct. We do not worship the Bible, but we recognize its vital importance in the life of the Church and its ability to inform our faith and conduct.
Missions - We believe that every individual should be involved in God’s worldwide mission program of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ to every person. Our church supports local, national, and international mission programs.
Our Church Covenant
Having been led by the Spirit of God to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and as those who affirm the body of Christ, the Church, we reverently enter into the following covenant with one another
- We promise to walk together in Christian love, to give our Church a sacred preeminence over all other institutions of human origin, and to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of it's ministries
- We further agree to cultivate the habit of prayer and Bible study, to attend worship services faithfully in so far as we are able, to seek to establish our home as a place where Christ is honored and served, to encourage others to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and to offer our forgiveness of others just as Christ has forgiven us.
- We also promise to develop and exercise the spiritual gifts that God has given to us and to use them for building up the Church of Christ. We also promise to watch over one another in Christian love, to pray for one another in times of sickness and distress, to be slow to take offense and quick to make reconciliation with everyone as the Scriptures teach us.
- We promise that we shall walk above reproach before the world with faith in Christ, and with dignity and courage. We shall further abstain from doing or saying anything which would hinder us in our walk with Christ or in our service for him, whether they involve us in personal habits which detract us from our witness for Christ, or which hinder unity in the Church.
- We also covenant to abide by the decisions of the majority of the members of our congregation in its deliberations.
- Finally, we covenant that when we move from a place we will as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the will of God for our lives