Community

We Believe

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

Amen

Our Principles

  • 1

    The highest authority of our faith and practice is Jesus Christ, present in His church through the Holy Spirit.

    Baptists acknowledge the lordship and sovereign authority of Jesus Christ, the risen Son of God, who, according to His promise, is present in every gathering of believers and in all the work entrusted to the church.

  • 2

    The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are our primary source and norm of God's revelation in Christ.

    God speaks to us through the Spirit-inspired Scriptures, and the written word therefore bears witness to the very Word, which is Jesus Christ. All Christian teaching is subject to the norm of Scripture, yet each generation may, by the power of the Holy Spirit, hear God's word anew for itself. God speaks to individuals in this way as well. Every believer is called to personal study of Scripture, but in their understanding they also allow themselves to be enriched by the comprehension of the wider confessing community of the church.

  • 3

    We are part of the church of Jesus Christ that arose in history, and we confess faith in one God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

    Baptist congregations continue the witness and practice of the early church and the spiritual tradition of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. They embrace its central principles. They do not hold binding church confessions, yet they regard the confessional documents of the early centuries of the church (the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, and the Chalcedonian Definition) as witnesses to Christian truth.

  • 4

    We consider personal faith in Jesus Christ and following Him to be the fundamental expression of Christian life.

    Every Christian personally confesses Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. The personal acceptance of the gift of faith leads, by God's grace, to radical discipleship according to the pattern of life of Jesus Christ, both within the church and in wider society.

  • 5

    We practice baptism as a visible joining to the "body of Christ".

    In response to God's grace, the believer personally confesses in baptism by immersion that by faith they become a participant in Christ's death, and thereby expresses hope in the resurrection and their submission to Christ as Lord. Baptists believe that the New Testament practice of believers' baptism is of fundamental importance for understanding the nature of faith, church, and discipleship.

  • 6

    We believe that all members of the body of Christ share in the Lord's Table.

    The believers who form the church are in covenantal relationship with their God and with one another in common worship, work, and fellowship. God has called them as the visible "body of Christ" into a specific community, and they enter it freely and gratefully. They express the mutuality and commitment of their community by accepting Christ's invitation to His table. In it they are also in fellowship with the "body of Christ" extended throughout the entire world.

  • 7

    We believe that every local congregation has the freedom and responsibility to seek and find what Christ's will is in its own life and work.

    The members of the local congregation deal with all their spiritual, disciplinary, and practical matters together at congregational meetings under the lordship of Christ. Each congregation is entirely free in its responsibility, but in seeking what belongs to Christ, it recognizes its spiritual dependence on others.

  • 8

    We uphold the principle of the "universal priesthood of believers", according to which all members of the congregation are called to service.

    Everyone who is called by Christ receives specific gifts for their service through the Holy Spirit. Members of the congregation responsibly discern and test each individual calling. Those who are called to spiritual leadership are entrusted, on the basis of this empowerment, with special responsibility for teaching and pastoral care.

  • 9

    We believe that the mutual bond formed in the local congregation leads to the creation of broader bonds between congregations and fellowships of congregations wherever possible.

    Local Baptist congregations have sought fellowship with other congregations from the very beginning of their history. Its purpose is mutual encouragement, sharing of experiences, and the division of practical service as a witness of reconciliation to the surrounding world. Individual congregations therefore form Baptist fellowships and ecumenical partnerships, both at the national and international level.

  • 10

    We believe that every disciple of Jesus Christ is called to be a witness to God's reign in Christ, and that the mission of the church is to participate obediently in what God is doing in the world.

    Just as every Christian confesses their faith, so every disciple is called to actively participate in the spreading of Christ's gospel in the world. The coming reign of God, however, surpasses the church, and bearing witness to it leads to participation in the work of justice, ensuring sufficiency for all, the preservation and restoration of health, education, and peace in the world.

  • 11

    We believe that the God-ordained order of marriage is a lifelong union of one man and one woman, and that sexual activity belongs exclusively within this union.

    Marriages in our congregations are solemnized only in this sense. Any other forms of sexual relationships, whether outside marriage or in partnerships, are a violation of biblical commandments. Those who are unable or unwilling to enter into marriage are guided by God's word to a life of sexual abstinence.

  • 12

    We defend freedom of conscience, and therefore we also accept the fact that differences remain among us.

    Baptists throughout their entire history have urged governments to enact laws ensuring freedom of conscience in matters of religious faith and practice, and expanding the space of personal freedom wherever this does not mean restricting the freedom of others. Baptists also apply the principle of spiritual freedom among congregations. Where there is a common commitment to Jesus Christ and Baptist principles are respected, let diversity be welcomed and differences accepted.

  • 13

    We advocate for the separation of church and state, which is grounded in the exclusivity of Christ's lordship in the church.

    The state should have no legislative power in matters of religious faith or participate in any way in the governance of churches. The church in turn should oppose the enactment of laws that privilege or harm Christians in comparison to other citizens. No country or part of a country should be reserved by the state for only a certain religious tradition. Where the state does not fulfil its God-appointed purpose, individual Christians and the church as a whole must raise their prophetic warning voice.

  • 14

    As Christians we live in hope of Christ's coming in glory and the completion of His redemptive work through the transformation of all creation.

    Hope in God's future has a powerful effect on present life. For this hope, Baptists engage in evangelism, in the rejection of violence in society, in support of desirable social change, and they recognize their responsibility for all of creation.