Berean Baptist Church

What We Believe

 We believe in one God our Creator, Jesus, God's Son, Our Redeemer, and God the Holy Spirit who sustains us.

We believe that Jesus' life, death, and resurrection made the love of God known in a unique way on Earth and that through relationship with Christ, we are made fully human and united with God as a family.

 We believe that the Bible is the inspired work of God, written by various people in diverse times and places.  Therefore it is our primary authority in faith and life.  It must, however, be studied, interpreted and applied responsibly and in community.

 We believe in the priesthood of all believers.  'The harvest is plenty but the workers are few,' Jesus said.  The Holy Spirit provides gifts to every individual for the blessing of the body of Christ.  We are here to discover and use those gifts. We are all called to worship, learn, and grow to be faithful disciples and to spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God in word and deed using our gifts faithfully.

 We believe in Soul Liberty.  God created each of us with the freedom to relate directly to God and to interpret the Word and respond as we see fit, free of control, of creed or government.

 We believe in Religious Liberty.  We are here not to put other Christians or faiths down, but to lift Jesus up.  We may disagree with another denomination or faith, but we respect and defend their right to respond to God as they see fit.  We therefore support separation of church and state and believe that such separation is healthy for both church and state.

 We believe in the autonomy of the local church.  We believe that Baptist churches are free to determine their membership and leadership, to order their worship and work, to ordain whomever they perceive to be gifted for ministry, and to participate as they see fit in denominational and ecumenical bodies.

 We affirm believer's Baptism.  Membership in God's family is a choice made by each individual.  Baptism by immersion symbolizes an end to the old way of life (without God) and the intention to live life in a new way, in the path of God with the guidance of Christ Jesus.  This is a choice made consciously and freely by the individual who has expressed faith in Christ. 

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Last modified: 04/23/10