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What we believe

In common with all Christians, we at Herne Bay Baptist Church affirm the historic creeds which were agreed in the early centuries AD.  A simple example is the Apostles’ Creed, which states:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.

Amen.

 

There are two things which make Baptist churches distinctive from some other denominations within the Christian family.  These are:

  • We do not baptise babies or infants (‘christening’), but rather we have a "Dedication Service".(Jesus's Dedication Luke 2:22-39, & Samuel's Dedication 1 Sam:21-28). Once a person has made his/her own personal decision to follow Jesus they can then choose to be baptised by full immersion in the baptistry at the front of the church or by full immersion in water. (Jesus's Baptism Matt 3:13, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, John 1:29-34).
     
  • Decision-making. Baptist churches, "Decern the Mind of Christ" together & are therefore congregational in governance, which means that all major decision are taken by the whole church (by the "Leading of Christ") when it meets together at different times during the year. Ministers are called, & ordained by Christ, this is recognised & confrimed by the Body of Christ; the Baptist Union & the local Church. The Minister is elected as the spiritual leader, to lead & direct the church, in conjunction with the other elected leaders, they do so with the agreement and support of Christ & the Body of Christ as represented by the members of the church. This principle is referred to as a Theocracy, or Christocracy (not a democracy) 

 

These two ideas are contained within the closest thing Baptists have to a Statement of Faith.  It’s called the Declaration of Principle and reads as follows:

  1. That our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, is the sole and absolute authority in all matters pertaining to faith and practice, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, and that each Church has liberty, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to interpret and administer His laws.
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  2. That Christian Baptism is the immersion in water into the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, of those who have professed repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ who ‘died for our sins according to the Scriptures; was buried, and rose again the third day’.
     
  3. That it is the duty of every disciple to bear personal witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to take part in the evangelisation of the world.