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Introduction
What everyone has to remember, when considering a particular Christian denomination (group), is that the members of the group are not clones of each other. Being bound together by common beliefs, does not necessarily mean everyone believes exactly the same thing.
At our Baptist Church there are beliefs that most people would consider important and share, but there can be varying opinions on matters of ethics (discussions about what is acceptable or unacceptable), for example capital punishment. It is quite possible that you might find some members of the church who believe capital punishment is appropriate, whilst others most certainly do not.
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Belief
There are four central beliefs that Baptists adhere to. The first concerns Jesus. One thing you can guarantee is that as Bible believing Christians, members of the Baptist church believe it is important to have, at the centre of their worship Jesus, God the Son, who points the way to God the Father. Further, it is believed that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, is both God and man at the very same time, performed miracles, taught people the way to God, died on a cross and was resurrected on the third day.
The second is belief in The Trinity. We believe there is only One God, but that He reveals himself to the world as The Trinity (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit). The Father made and sustains the universe, The Son offers a means of salvation and The Spirit is a comforter and guide to those who invite Him into their lives.
Thirdly Salvation. At the Baptist church, we are taught from the Bible. It is believed that when God created the world all was absolutely fine (see Genesis), but that Adam and Eve fell from Grace (God's unconditional love). We believe that God tried to show the people the way back to Him, as all now fall short of the Grace of God because of the Fall (the original sin of Adam and Eve). We believe the way back to God, is through accepting the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, for the forgiveness of sins. We believe that God came to earth as Jesus the Son (a suffering servant), but will one day return as a judge of all humankind, both living and dead.
And lastly heart knowledge and head knowledge. It's one thing to have a head knowledge of Christianity, it's believed to be another thing to have a heart felt knowledge of the love of God through Jesus. So believing in and living the faith is important above and beyond just understanding the methods of Christianity.
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Belonging
Worship can include prayer, song and Bible readings. A Sunday service is supported by the worship team (a group of musicians, of various ages). Songs can vary from modern choruses to more traditional hymns. Individuals are encouraged to share through prayer and sharing of their thoughts.
Although there is a set time for the service, it is felt that through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the service might well take on a different emphasis.
Apart from songs and prayers, the preacher will deliver a sermon and there is often a time of Communion.
Communion (or the Lord's Table) is the time when the fellowship take the bread and wine (often just grape juice). The bread and the wine represent the body and blood of Jesus. However, the bread and wine remain just that - bread and wine. They are symbols of the redeeming love of Jesus - his body broken and blood spilled, for the forgiveness of sins. At our church, a loaf of bread is broken up and distributed around the congregation by the helpers for that week. Similarly those seated await a share of the 'wine' served to them in small cups.
If you love the Lord Jesus, whether you're a member of the church or not, you are welcome to take Communion, but you are asked to let the bread and the wine pass by, if you're not a believer.
At our church, the Bible is seen as the inspired Word of God. This means that the many individuals chosen by God to contribute to the Bible were not told, word for word, what to write but were inspired through the prompting of God to write what they did. For example, King David was inspired to write some of his psalms by the wonder of God's creation. God tapped into the personalities of the writers, but the words written down were those of the writer, having been inspired by God.
The Bible is read at our church as a teaching aid - God speaking to His people through His Word. It also serves as a check on what is being delivered by the preacher.
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Being
Putting faith into action is important, as 'faith without works is dead'. It is important that the church is Jesus' hands and feet in the local community as well as further afield. To this end the church supports some individuals and charitable organisations that seek to work for God.
There are leaders within our Baptist church - individuals who believe they are called, by God, to serve the church in a particular way. If the rest of the church agree, then the individuals are asked to take up the role. At our church we don't have a minister or pastor (leader), but there are elders - men, who after prayer and careful thought, ask the church members to consider what may be the way ahead for the church.
There are also the deacons who have particular roles, like finance deacon, prayer deacon or even caretaking deacon. Of course there are times when the elders (who are not necessarily old!) have to take the decision to ask people to consider their behaviour.
At the Baptist church it is believed that all are equal and have the same access to God, through Jesus, as anyone else. Whether you are an elder or someone who just comes along to the church on an occasional basis, all are equal before God.
At home, we as a family are mindful of God's presence in our lives. That's not to mean that we are perfect; first and foremost we're people who make mistakes, have the usual family ups and downs and of course our children have their argumentative moments. In all of this, my wife and I attempt to do what is best and as a family we make an effort to serve God during our day to day life. Quiet times alone with God are enjoyed by several family members and we will also take time to study the Bible and pray together. At meal time we often give thanks for the food before us.
At bed time, amidst the usual night time stories that many children enjoy, we'll often choose to read a Bible story (there are lots aimed at the children's market, with child friendly language and fun pictures).
As parents, it is our hope that our children will find for themselves a faith in God, through Jesus. We very much believe that you can 'take a horse to water, but you can't make it drink'. Likewise you can take a child to church, or teach him about Jesus, but you cannot make him believe. At the end of the day, our children will have to make their own choice to allow God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit into their lives. Our children are not christened and to explain why, I'll round up why a Baptist church is so named. We also try to be God's helpers on earth and support a Christian charity that seeks to be a positive help to those in need. To this end Nekesa, a 14 year old girl from Uganda is somewhat like another family member for us. We communicate by letter and have followed Nekesa's progress for many years.
Within our church, we believe in Believer's Baptism. In the Bible we read that one should 'repent and be baptised' - ask for forgiveness and turn away from one's sins and then be baptised as an outward sign of an inward change. To do this, we believe that it has to be a personal decision to follow the Christian path. Someone may have become a Christian 10 years ago, or even just last month, but we feel that for both, baptism is equally important. The baptistry, at our church, is below the stage area, where the service leader stands. There is nothing special about the water which is placed in there, but when the believing Christian is totally immersed in the water it is a symbol of dying to the old self and being re-born into a life with Jesus. Just as Jesus rose from the tomb, likewise the believing Christian is stating that s/he is re-born into a new God centred life.
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