Doctrine Matters
What We Believe
What Drives Us?
All of our beliefs and convictions are derived from the Bible. The Bible is our final and ultimate authority.
The eccumenical creeds distill essential Faith to the most basic teachings in the Bible. They unify all Christians across denominations.
The Church’s final and ultimate authority is the Word of God. There are, however, explanations of biblical doctrine which have served the church, helping to clarify its orthodoxy, inform its worship, and provide it with a trusted exposition of the Gospel. While not inspired or authoritative, they are helpful.
Catechisms are ancient teachings devices in a Q&A format, designed for children and beginners in the "grammar" stage of learning something new. An Orthodox Catechism (the Baptist version of the Heidelberg catechism) is our favorite Reformed catechism.
Pastor Doug has written the Q&A Companion to Dr. Michael Heiser's Unseen Realm. It is a catechism designed as a faithful, orthodox supernatural companion to the Orthodox Catechism and The Baptist Catechism.
.jpg)
Christ Centered
“And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent” (Colossians 1:18). To be Christ-centered means that Jesus Christ is the supreme treasure, the focal point of all our worship, preaching, and daily living — the One in whom all things hold together and who must have the preeminence in everything.
"The faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3)
To understand this faith, to internalize it, and to work it out into our daily activity, so that we can pass it down to our children, outweighs every other interest - including the numerical success of the church.
Word and Sacrament
"And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." (Acts 2:42)
The primary focus of our worship is the public reading and exposition of God's Word, and the administration of his sacraments.
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2 Tim 2:15)
Following the pattern of guilt, grace, and gratitude, our sermons are Christ centered, with special care given to correctly distinguish between Law and Gospel.
Form, Order and Reverence in Worship
God seeks those who worship him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Accordingly, we are called to worship God in an orderly manner (1 Cor 14:40), "with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (Heb 12:28)." Thus we utilize appropriate and biblical liturgical devices in our worship.
Accountability
We belong to the Reformed Baptist Networkl because we do not believe "lone ranger" Christianity is appropriate for God's people. Creeds, confessions, a catechism and a historic liturgy link us to other believers not only in this time and place, but across time, geographical boundaries and cultures.
Children and Family
The Biblical notion of covenant theology, as interpreted by the historic Reformed Baptist tradition, provides us with a solid theological basis from which to discuss marriage, family, children and other personal relationships within the church.
Sharing our Faith
"Always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence." (1 Peter 3:15). Scriptures exhort us to share it with those outside the church. We must not only be prepared to give to everyone an answer for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15), but we be zealous to see our non-Christian friends, families and neighbors hear the message of Christ crucified (Romans 10:14-15).
Fellowship and Comaraderie
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another." (Hebrews 10:23-25)