| Psalm 90: 2. |
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| Before the mountains |
| were brought forth, |
| or ever thou had formed the earth |
| and the world, even from |
| everlasting to everlasting, |
| thou art God. |
|
| What we believe |
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| We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. We believe that every word is true and trustworthy, and that it is our only authority for faith and practice. |
| We believe in the great truths of the gospel. Otherwise known as the Doctrines of Grace. That is, we believe the Bible teaches that Salvation is by God’s Grace alone, as expressed by the great reformer, John Calvin, back in 1536. |
| We are Baptists: we believe that it is the command of the Lord Jesus Christ that those who repent of their sins and put their trust in Him alone for salvation, Therefore they are to be baptised by complete immersion in water, as a sign of their love and obedience to Him. |
| We believe that worship should be reverent and worthy of God. We therefore adopt a traditional style of worship consisting of Hymns, Bible reading, prayer and an address. |
| The Gospel is the best news a person will ever hear: the Lord has appointed that it should be proclaimed to all people. We believe that preaching and teaching gospel truths is to be a central activity in the local church. |
| Articles of Faith and Practice |
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| 1. Foundational |
| This church recognises the 66 canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as “breathed out by God” (2 Tim.3:16) in their entirety, including the very words. |
| They are therefore infallibly true and trustworthy in everything they teach, and the one supreme standard of belief and conduct. |
| This church also accepts the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith as an essentially faithful interpretation of the Scriptures and as the church’s subordinate standard next after the Scriptures. These Articles of Faith and Practice shall also hold the position of a subordinate standard. We make one qualification, however, concerning the 1689 Confession’s teaching: Chapter 26, section 4. |
| The church does not bind itself to accept that the pope is the Man of Sin or Antichrist. Such identification goes beyond what can be legitimately known from Scripture itself; it requires a knowledge and an interpretation of subsequent history too. While therefore the pope may be the Man of Sin or Antichrist, we should not bind the church to believe this. |
| 2. The Church |
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| (i) There is but one church of Christ, both in heaven and on the earth, and this church is composed of sinners elected in Christ from before the foundation of the world, and called in God’s appointed time to be partakers of this grace and favour. |
| Each local church, therefore, shall be an expression of this universal church and shall be composed only and solely of believers professing their call by grace into God’s salvation. |
| (ii) Admittance to membership in this local church shall be by profession of faith on the part of those baptised by immersion in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Church members shall agree to abide by the teaching of the 1689 Baptist Confession and the Articles of Faith and Practice. |
| They are not bound to subscribe to everything the Confession and Articles say, but they shall honour and respect them as the church’s subordinate standard after the Scriptures, and not seek to undermine them. |
| As some believers in Christ may not have yet attained to a full knowledge of the foregoing truths, and yet should be under the influence and discipline of a gospel church, they shall be admitted to membership on giving a general assent to these articles, the Elders diligently observing their growth in grace until such time as they shall fully and knowledgeably ascribe to these truths. |
| (iv) Elders and deacons shall subscribe to the system of doctrine contained in the ‘1689 Baptist Confession of Faith as their own confession of faith, with the qualification mentioned above, and to the Articles of Faith and Practice. |
| If any church officer, or candidate for church office, finds that he can no longer conscientiously subscribe to any part of the Confession’s teaching, or any of the Articles, he shall immediately bring this to the notice of the other church officers, who shall make a full inquiry into the matter. |
| If they judge that the matter does not involve any serious or substantial departure from the church’s faith and practice, and does not endanger the good order of the church, it shall not affect the standing of the candidate or officer. If, however, they judge that the matter does involve a serious or substantial departure from the church’s faith and practice, or does endanger the good order of the church, the issue shall be resolved either by the candidate’s withdrawal; or by the church officer’s resignation; or by dismissal from office; or if Scripture requires it, by a formal change to the Confession or Articles adopted by the church meeting. |
| (v) In order to facilitate this rule and government, and in order to exercise discipline (which shall be in accord with the Word of God) membership of the church shall be restricted to those living in an immediate (local) area which makes their attendance on the means of grace possible. If a member moves away from the area and is no longer worshipping with this church, he or she shall relinquish all voting powers in matters relating to the church’s affairs while absent. |
| (vi) Applicants for membership shall be interviewed by the church officers and, on their recommendation, accepted on the vote of the membership at a church meeting. |
| (vii) The final decision on all matters of major import shall rest with the membership at the church meeting, acting in accordance with the Holy Scriptures and under Christ as its one and only true Head. |
| 3. Special Clauses |
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| (i) This church shall be Protestant, witnessing to the saving truth of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, and rejecting any view that would compromise or deny this cardinal doctrine of the Gospel. |
| (ii) This church shall remain separate from the modern “ecumenical movement”, including as it does within its ranks people who deny those truths which were recovered in their purity during the Protestant Reformation (such as justification through faith alone) and who seek union with the Roman Catholic body, whose errors today are no less dangerous than they were at the time of the Reformation. |
| (iii) Membership in any religious society where Christ is not recognised as supreme and Head shall be held as inconsistent with church membership. |
| (iv) This church rejects the Pentecostal and charismatic movements as authentic expressions of biblical teaching. Specifically: |
| This church does not accept that the foundational office of prophet or apostle continues after the end of the apostolic age at the close of the 1st century, or that any revelation binding on the church today is to be found other than the revelation contained in Scripture itself. |
| The church also holds that the apostolic gift of speaking in tongues was a real human language, directed towards God in prayer, rather than the modern phenomenon of a so-called “heavenly” language which is often interpreted (translated) as God’s own speech to us. |
| The church rejects the view that baptism in the Holy Spirit is an experience separate from and subsequent to conversion, or that speaking in tongues is a necessary sign of baptism in the Spirit. |
| The church rejects the view that miraculous signs and wonders ought to follow and authenticate the preaching of the Gospel, or should be sought and prayed for; the only “miracle” we seek in this regard is the conversion of sinners. |
| The church rejects the view that physical and material health, wealth, and prosperity are promised to believers in the present life, or that any failure to enjoy these blessings is necessarily due to lack of faith. While God in His sovereignty may heal miraculously in answer to prayer, the church rejects the view that any individual has a special permanent gift of miraculous healing. |
| (v) This church rejects the view that women may exercise spiritual or teaching authority over men in the life of the church. Any church office involving such exercise of authority is, in accordance with Scripture, open only to men, albeit men with suitable qualifications. |
| 5. Amendments and Clarifications. |
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| Following a meeting of the Office-Bearers of the Church on 20th of August 2023 and a subsequent meeting of the Church on the 13th of September 2023 it was agreed that the three following amendments and clarifications be made to, and part of the Articles of Faith. |
| Church Bible Versions |
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| This church recognises the Authorised Version (AV) as the most accurate English translation of the Holy Scriptures we have available today. |
| To prevent confusion and maintain consistency, the Authorised Version (AV) is to be read and used in All pulpit ministry including preaching and teaching. |
| Modern translations and paraphrases are therefore not used in our services of Worship or any of our church ministries. |
| All visiting preachers are required to use the Authorised Version in their preaching. |
| All those teaching in Sunday school, youth work, nursing homes and other church ministries are required to use the Authorised Version. |
| All those preaching in the open air from the church are requested to use the Authorised Version. |
| Church Music & Hymnbook for Worship |
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| This church is convinced of the traditional reverent worship principles. |
| The church does not condone the use of charismatic contemporary songs or choruses in worship evangelism or outreach. |
| All hymns and psalms must be chosen from the church hymn book. |
| Only tunes approved by the church officers and church organist can be used in any of our services. |
AMEN