Bethany Baptist Church

SEVEN CORE MINISTRY BELIEFS

Whether they realize it or not, every church holds to a number of certain beliefs (officially or unofficially) that they feel are vital for the life and health of the church.

Here at Bethany, we have seven core beliefs that we feel are very important to emphasize within the context of the worshiping community. If any of these core beliefs offend you, please forgive us, that is not our intention. Our only desire is to paint a more detailed picture of who we are as a church.

Hopefully, these beliefs will help you determine whether or not Bethany Baptist is the right church for you.

1. Biblical Inerrancy:
   
   We believe without reservation that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible Word of God. The whole life of the church and the Christian is to be guided and directed by Holy Scripture. Any deviance from this position can potentially lead to destruction.



2. Expository Preaching:
   
   We believe that the best way to communicate God's Word is through the verse by verse exposition of Scripture. Five elements help identify expository preaching: (1) The message finds it sole source in Scripture. (2) The message is extracted from Scripture through careful exegesis. (3) The message preparation correctly interprets Scripture in its normal sense and its context. (4) The message clearly explains the original meaning of Scripture as intended by God. (5) The message applies the Scriptural meaning for today.



3. Plurality in Leadership:
   
   The early church was led by a plurality of men called "elders" (Acts 14:23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18; Titus 1:5; James 5:14). These men had to meet a list of qualifications (1 Timothy 3; Titus 1) and were considered equal in authority. Many churches today have strayed from this biblical pattern by entrusting the senior pastor with a dangerous measure of authority. The results have been disastrous. Personal ambition, pride, lack of accountability, and the sinful flesh have combined to lead many pastors down a self-destructive, self-deceived path. More times than not, it is the congregation that suffers most. Plurality in leadership (Elders) is the best way to avoid this increasing problem. This is a true saying: "the best of men are men at best."



4. Believer's Baptism:
   
   As a Baptist church, we strongly believe in believer's baptism by immersion. We believe that baptism is an ordinance that has been commanded by Christ for the purpose of publicly professing our faith in Him. Even though baptism plays no part in the reception of our salvation, it nevertheless is an act of obedience to Christ. With all due respect to our Presbyterian brothers and sisters in Christ (whom we genuinely love and respect), we completely reject the doctrine of Infant Baptism (Paedobaptism).



5. Women in Ministry:
   
   We believe that Scripture teaches that men and women have been created by God to be equal in their importance and personhood. The Bible teaches that when God created man, He created them "male and female" in His image (Genesis 1:27; 5:1-2). Both men and women are equally important and valuable to God. Yet, Scripture clearly teaches that men and women have different roles within the body of Christ. In 1 Timothy 2:12-15, Paul tells Timothy that a woman is not "to teach or exercise authority over a man". Paul goes on to root his statement in the creation order. Therefore, this teaching cannot be ignored as being something "culturally" commanded by Paul. This being the case, we do not believe that the Bible allows a woman to serve as one of the primary leaders of the church, i.e., elders or pastors. We do, however, believe that a woman can serve as a deaconess (1 Timothy 3:11). We are aware that a number of women in the church today serve as chairpersons, Sunday School Directors, teachers, coordinators, etc. We have no problem with this and wholeheartedly commend its practice.



6. Church Growth Movement:
   
   There has been an alarming trend in recent years to try and change the traditional format of the church in order to make it more "user friendly" and "seeker sensitive". All kinds of new ideas and ministry philosophies have been embraced with a view to seeing more people led to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The traditional hymns have been replaced with more contemporary forms of music while theologically rich sermons have been replaced by short "sermonettes". Subjective emotion has taken precedence over objective truth. All this has taken place with a view to seeing more people come to saving faith in Christ. Yet, studies are showing that the same percentage of people that are being saved today is the same percentage that was being saved thirty and forty years ago, long before the church growth movement even began. Whereas we do not reject all that goes on in the church growth movement (some of the new worship music is outstanding), as a whole, we do reject its philosophical foundation. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 "I will build My church". Jesus is the One who brings people into the church, not man-made techniques and philosophies. As we corporately and individually proclaim the biblical gospel, the Lord will bring in all those that belong to Him. Trying to change the format and structure of the church in order to make it more appealing to the world is a dangerous endeavor and something we cannot endorse. We fully believe that if the church takes care of the depth of its ministry, God will take care of its breadth.



7. Church Discipline:
   
   Every Bible-centered church is obligated by Scripture to practice church discipline (Matthew 18:15-17; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 13:2; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; 2 Timothy 3:1-5). The early church practiced it regularly but over time its practice has severely declined. It must be emphasized that discipline in the church is primarily concerned with restoration. God wants to protect His people from the snares of Satan, the world, and the flesh. Church discipline instills a healthy fear into the life of the believer. But church discipline must always be administered with genuine love and concern for the spiritual well being of the individual. It must never be misused or abused. The purpose of church discipline is positive for the individual disciplined, for other Christians as they see the dangers of sin, for the health of the church as a whole, and for the corporate witness of the church. Most of all, our holiness is to reflect the holiness of God. It should mean something to be a member of the church, not for pride's sake, but for the sake of God's name.

OTHER STATEMENTS

There are other statements of faith that we as a body find useful. These are referenced here in case of interest.
Piper's Baptist Catechism
Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
Constitution and By-laws of Bethany Baptist Church