What Is Being Baptist Anyway?
We believe that the wisdom of Scripture opens up new ways of thinking about our lives and that it is wholly relevant today. Our philosophy is to take the Bible seriously rather than literally. Using that approach, we worship intentionally, drawing from ancient Christian tradition, while also incorporating new ways of worshiping God that are creative, intellectually engaging, and spiritually fulfilling.
On Being Baptist
As a church community that is filled with people from various denominational and church experience backgrounds, it is important for us to share what makes us Baptist.There are many variations of Baptist, some quite different from each other, and to understand our particular version, it may be helpful to know our core Baptist beliefs.
Priesthood of all believers
Being Baptist means practicing a faith that affirms and encourages the priesthood of all believers. That is, we’re tenacious about the fact that God speaks freely to us all, and that each one of us has an individual and direct relationship with God that is not brokered by an institution or a member of the clergy.
Autonomy of the local church
A great gift of being a Baptist is the autonomy of the local church. Much like our individual belief in the responsibility of each person to cultivate a relationship with God, our church community has that responsibility, too. As Baptists, we are constantly asking where it is God is leading us as a community of faith and how we will respond to that leading. No larger entity or denominational body dictates whom we hire, who is accepted into membership, where our money goes, or what congregational statements we adopt.
Separation of church and state and religious liberty
As Baptists, we are conscious of separation of church and state. Our faith informs our individual politics, but the church is never a forum for promoting the state. We answer to a higher calling—we are people engaged in following the ways of Jesus' teachings and work to keep these allegiances separate.
Holy Scripture
We believe that the wisdom of Scripture opens up new ways of thinking about our lives, and that it is wholly relevant today. Our philosophy is to take the Bible seriously rather than literally, working to explore what truths it holds for our world today and grappling with how to live it out as a community and in our individual lives. We believe the greatest truth that undergirds Scripture is that God is one of love, and all are welcomed as Children of God.
Jesus Christ as Teacher of Salvation
We believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ. We seek to examine our ministries and practices through the lens of loving God and loving your neighbor (Matthew 22). We work to continue the messages of peace, hope, joy, and love that Christ taught his followers in the early church.
American Baptist Church - USA
American Baptists are a Christ-centered, biblically grounded, ethnically diverse people called to radical personal discipleship in Christ Jesus. Our commitment to Jesus propels us to nurture authentic relationships with one another; build healthy churches; transform our communities, our nations and our world; engage every member in hands-on ministry; and speak the prophetic word in love.
As a people of prayer, purpose, and passion, we are in the forefront of creating a community of faith where people of every race, nationality and culture gather as one in worship, service and work.
The heart of the gospel is God’s redemptive love. In our life together, the world will see the power of forgiveness to overcome alienation, the strength of love to transform hate, the power of grace to break the bonds of guilt, the triumph of hope over despair, and the victory of faith over doubt.
Through the cross of Christ we embrace the world as neighbor. Our vision for mission energizes a multitude of servant ministries of evangelism, discipleship, leadership, new church development, social justice, healing, peacemaking, economic development and education. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we work together in mutual submission, humility, love, and giving that the gospel might be preached and lived in all the world.