Our Affiliation With The CBWC*

While Bethel Baptist Church traces its origins to outreach efforts in the 1920's, our formal affiliation with the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada (formerly the Baptist Union of Western Canada* or BUWC) did not occur until 1955 when 8 charter members made an application to the B.C. Convention of Baptist Churches, which then became part of the BUWC (now CBWC) in 1968. The CBWC is part of a larger family under the umbrella of Canadian Baptist Ministries, an association of conventions and unions across Canada that call themselves, Baptists. (* - at the biennial BUWC Assembly in the Spring of 2007, the denomination made a decision to change its name from the Baptist Union of Western Canada to Canadian Baptists of Western Canada to better identify with our national connections under the umbrella of Canadian Baptist Ministries.)

Statement Of Purpose

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 a self-governing, Autonomous 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.

Pastoral Staff

Senior Pastor: Pastor Al Grochowski contact Pastor Al Grochowski: srpastor(AT)bethelsechelt(DOT)org Pastor Al was born in Vancouver and did most of his growing up in Surrey, BC. At the age of 18 he came to faith in Jesus Christ. After spending the next 5 years in the retail world selling shoes and managing a shoe store (insert your own joke here), Al decided to go back to school and attended Northwest Baptist Theological College to obtain his Bachelors of Religious Education. Al "stayed in the saddle" until he completed his Masters of Divinity degree in 1996 and was ordained in 1997. Al has served in the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada since the mid 1990's in various capacities, enjoying ministering in churches in Surrey, BC, Assiniboia, SK and now is privileged to call Sechelt home since being called to Pastor Bethel Baptist Church in February 2004. He is also presently a member of the BC/Y Regional Advisory Team and is Moderator of the BC/Y Region and President of the Convention of Baptist Churches of BC... and enjoys wearing the many hats! Al loves spending time with his family - beautiful wife Patricia, spunky daughter Rebecca, and newest member of the family, Theo. Patricia and Al are thrilled to have added a new member to the family through Inter-Country adoption. What a blessing he has been to all who meet him. Theo hails from South Africa. Two family pets round out the Grochowski household (dogs named Newton and Callie after the places we lived in when adding each dog to the clan) and we couldn't be more blessed. Games like Settlers of Catan and the sport of soccer top his list of hobbies... and indeed has the privilege of being the Assistant Coach of a U-18 House league team for several years running. All this and drinking a good cup of coffee whenever he can bring him great pleasure. Most of all, being able to proclaim God's Word to all he meets is the greatest privilege ever experienced.

Pastor Al and Patricia, Becky & Theo