Central Baptist Church
Central Baptist Church has a long history of ministry in our community. We are a church that is committed to preaching the infallible Word of God, edifying believers, and reaching lost souls for Christ.
Belz expressed appreciation for Central’s outreach and participation in associational life but noted that the church did not participate in the Halifax Baptist Association’s regular Sunday evening program of visitation.
What is a Baptist Church?
Baptists believe that the Bible is the ultimate authority in all matters of faith and practice. They emphasize the principle of sola Scriptura, meaning that the Bible alone is the sole source of all Christian beliefs and teachings.
Unlike many other denominations, most Baptist churches operate with congregational authority, which means that each church has the right to select its own pastor and determine its operating budget. However, many Baptist churches voluntarily cooperate at local, state and national levels to conduct missionary work, provide religious education, recruit and train ministers and mobilize for disaster relief.
The core beliefs of Baptists include salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, immersion baptism as a symbolic identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, church membership based on a credible profession of faith, soul competency and priesthood of all believers, local church autonomy and religious liberty for all people. In addition, they affirm two ordinances — communion and prayer — as central to their worship.
What are the Core Beliefs of a Baptist Church?
Baptists differ from other Christian denominations in a number of ways, but they have six distinguishing core beliefs that set them apart: salvation by grace through faith alone; evangelism; the Lord’s Supper as a time of devotion and prayer; the priesthood of all believers, which means that every church member is able to minister; church autonomy, in which decision-making authority lies with local congregations and their leadership; and religious liberty for all.
The Bible is viewed as the sole authority for both faith and practice, and Christians are both free and obligated to interpret Scripture responsibly under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Baptists also believe that baptism should be by immersion, a symbolic act that demonstrates a person’s new life in Christ through his death, burial and resurrection.
Finally, Baptists insist that the fundamental authority for a local church is vested in its congregation of believers, which admits and expels members, calls and ordains pastors, orders its worship and works, and recognizes that its responsibilities are implemented through cooperative bodies—regional associations, state conventions and national conventions.
What is the Mission of a Baptist Church?
The mission of a Baptist Church is to glorify God by involving churches and individuals in meeting human needs in Jesus’ name. This mission is accomplished by giving, praying and sending people to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Baptists have always maintained the need for local churches to be responsible for articulating their own doctrine, style of worship and governing structures. Nevertheless, they have also sought friendly cooperation in achieving common convention causes.
From the 1700s onwards Baptists began to focus on worldwide missions. This change reflected a growing understanding that the Bible commanded the Gospel to be preached to all nations, and that the Church was commanded to minister to all peoples in Jesus’ name. Several denominations established mission boards and societies to raise money and commission missionaries. These agencies are still in existence today. Missions and evangelism remain a primary focus for all Baptists. Soul competency, the priesthood of all believers (that every Christian has free access to God through Christ’s mediation), and biblical authority are important Baptist beliefs shared by most Baptist churches.
What is the Vision of a Baptist Church?
Baptists emphasize the importance of personal devotion to God, a strong faith in Jesus Christ, and evangelism. They believe that the Bible is the ultimate authority and should be the basis for all religious teaching. They also believe that the church should be made up of believers and should be governed by those believers. The church should be free from the influence of any other authority, such as the government.
Most Baptist churches have a baptistery, which is a pool where baptism is carried out. During a baptismal service the minister will hold the person being baptized and lower them down into the water until they are completely submerged. This is done in line with the New Testament practice of baptism by immersion.
Though there are many differences between the various Baptist groups, most share a similar doctrine. Baptists are known for their separation of church and state, believing that the government should not interfere with church matters and that religion should be based on free choice and not coercion.
