So, Who Are We?
Bethel Baptist Church is a group of Christians who have committed themselves to work together in developing their relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and to inviting others, both in our community and throughout the world, to participate in that relationship. We believe that the message of the Bible is good news, with Jesus as its central theme. The Bible tells us what we need to know and do in order to please God and enjoy his presence through Jesus.
In short, we are BAPTISTS. But what does that mean?
B: We believe the Bible to be the Divinely Inspired, authoritative Word of God and that it is the final authority in every area of the believer´s life. (Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
A: We are an Autonomous, or self-governing church, (Matt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 6:1-3) voluntarily associated with the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada. We have a voting membership that is responsible for the decision making processes within the context of Church life.
P: We believe in the Priesthood of all believers. (1 Peter 2:5-9; 1 Timothy 5)
T: We regularly partake in Two Ordinances as Scripture instructs - Baptism and the Lord´s Supper. (Acts 2:41-47; 1 Cor. 11:23-32)
I: We affirm that each Individual is competent before God; that His Holy Spirit indwells each believer upon confession of faith and as such, each individual is accountable before God for his or her own actions, and has the freedom of conscience, led by the Holy Spirit and God´s Word to make life decisions. (Romans 14:5-12)
S: We affirm the Separation of Church and State. (Matthew 22:15-22)
T: We have Two Offices in the Church: Pastor-Elder and Deacon. (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1-2)
S: We believe that membership is reserved for those who have been Saved by God´s grace through faith - all members must be regenerate (born again.) (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 5:23-32; Colossians 1:18)
We recognize that there is nothing distinct about any of these characteristics individually and that various evangelical groups adhere to each of these characteristics to various extents. What is unique about Bethel is that it seeks to combine all of these characteristics into the overall life of the Church, and how we choose to govern ourselves as a Body of believers. As a Church we choose to have a voting membership that agrees to a Covenant of Membership and makes key decisions as a whole based on a democratic system. In our Bylaws and Policy Manual, certain responsibilities and corresponding decision making is deferred to smaller groups, but only as guided by the agreed upon statements in our official documents. Every member has a voice.
Based on our system of governance and desire to be obedient to God´s Word, we aspire
-To welcome all who are interested in meeting with us to learn about and develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
-To maintain a firm commitment to our covenant of membership, including our statement of faith; while we allow for diverse views, personal growth, and honest inquiry, we defer to our covenant which asks members to support the agreed upon teaching and practices of the church.
-To not only teach and learn about the Bible, God´s Word, but actively help one another understand and live by it.
-To take the good news of Jesus Christ to our neighbours and to the world, regardless of difficulties and setbacks.
-To communicate the good news of Jesus in ways people in our culture can understand, while remaining true to God´s Word without compromise.
-To carefully evaluate trends and norms in our society, firmly oppose those which are inconsistent with the Word of God and embrace those which are Biblical.
- To maintain a self-governing church, with a voting membership and a voluntary association with the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada.
- To extend membership to anyone who is willing to live by our covenant of membership and accept our statement of faith.
- To promote unity within the church by having clear expectations of leaders and members, with accountability of both to each other.
- To encourage and support people to use the spiritual gifts God has given them.
As a people of God, we are actively seeking the leading of the Holy Spirit both in our lives individually as well as corporately asking the Lord to lead us where He wants us to go and what we need to do as a congregation to get to the place the Lord is leading.
Core Beliefs (from the Church Constitution)
WE BELIEVE
A. The Bible (Old and New Testaments) is inspired by God and is without error in the original writings. It is the final authority in every area of a believer’s life.
B. God, the creator of all things, who exists eternally in three persons, is one:
- The Father is a limitless Spirit, holy, supreme ruler of heaven and earth. He is worthy of all possible honour, faith and love.
- The Son, Jesus the Christ, through His virgin birth became a man without ceasing to be God. He was tempted and sinless, He died on the cross to save mankind from being condemned and eternally separated from God. He physically rose from the dead claiming victory over sin and death and ascended into heaven. He is the supreme authority and mediator of all believers. According to his promise He personally will return to earth, with power and great glory.
- The Holy Spirit is active in the world. He convicts us of our need of God’s salvation. He is the active agent as we are born again. He indwells, empowers, leads and guides believers into all truth so that they can be conforming to the image of the Son. He gifts all believers to serve the church and promote God’s Kingdom.
C. Mankind was divinely created in God’s image. However, all have sinned becoming guilty before God, are totally unable to save themselves from their lost condition and be reconciled to God.
D. Men’s eternal salvation and the promised abundant life of the believer are gifts of God. The only way to be saved is by grace and through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. His atoning blood was shed on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, giving us right standing before God, and declaring us righteous.
E. The purpose of the believer’s life is to:
1. Know, enjoy and serve God.
2. Be an active party of the Body of Christ.
3. Be an ambassador of Christ in the world.
F. The local church is a congregation of believers joined in covenant of faith and the fellowship of the gospel. The church practices two ordinances; (1) baptism by immersion of a believer as an act of obedience to the Lord and (2) communion, which is the remembrance of the Lord’s broken body and shed blood on the cross, using the symbols of bread and wine.
G. The fulfillment of God’s plan for this age is the personal, visible, imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Church Member Covenant:
Covenant of Membership.
I covenant with Christ and you my brothers and sisters:
- to practice private prayer and study the scriptures regularly
- to walk together in Christian love encouraging and nurturing one another, to promote unity in the church
- to support the agreed teaching and practice of the church
- to gather together regularly for teaching, fellowship, communion, prayer and the giving of offerings, to develop the gifts that God has given me, for His glory, to serve effectively within the church and take the Gospel out into the world.
- I believe that God is the total owner of my life and resources and therefore will strive to bring every phase of my life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ my Savior.