The Little Glory Baptist Church is unaffiliated (that is, we are not a member of any union or fellowship). Immediately upon hearing such a statement, people begin to wonder how we are different from other Baptist churches and whether we are a cult.
The fact is, unassociated Baptist Churches have existed for a very long time. They are simply an independent, local congregation, committed to Biblical Christianity and, in particular, historic Baptist distinctives. We believe in the autonomy of the local church, but this does not make us isolationist. We fellowship regularly with other churches of like mind, combining our efforts where we can, assisting one another when able.
Oh! So you are a Baptist group? That’s another good question! Yes, we are Baptists! We believe in the baptism of believers only, by immersion. We believe that only baptised believers should be members of local churches. Charles Spurgeon, the great Prince of Preachers, who on October 28, 1887 resigned from the English Baptist Union and remained for the rest of his life an independent Baptist Pastor, wrote:
“We fear it is hopeless ever to form a society which can keep out men base enough to profess one thing and believe another; but it might be possible to make an informal alliance among all who hold the Christianity of their fathers.”
In a day and age when all the trends were toward unification, harmony, amalgamation, and brotherhood, suddenly there was a lone voice – a most influential voice – urging true believers to separate from compromise.
The problem is, there are those individuals, even churches, who call themselves Baptist, yet who in a true and historical sense, are not. Tragically, Baptist churches, like so many others, have been subject to the erosion and dilution of their Biblical convictions. The cause of this? Compromise: specifically a failure to stand for the faith as once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3). Because professing believers have not been faithful to Scripture, (2 Timothy 2:2), churches world-wide struggle against the inflow of ‘culture’ and ‘society’. Therefore, the trend today is that people want to redefine the Bible in order to ‘fit in’ with what is currently popular. Our responsibility is not to ‘fit in’, but to preach the whole counsel of God!
In light of history, in light of the Faith, in light of the Bible, we remain today simply a local Baptist Church. Many have begun to look back and in so doing have discovered how far modern ‘evangelical’ and even ‘fundamental’ Christianity has deviated from Biblical Christianity! They are saddened by the man-centred worship of the ‘church’ today, and want to return to the kind of teaching and preaching that presents all the counsel of God (Acts 20:27), and not just the kind designed to ‘tickle the ears’ (2 Timothy 4:3).
So what exactly do you believe? We’re glad you asked! You’d actually be surprised how many people will join a church without ever wanting to know what that church actually believes! We will present here just a couple of important issues that need to be stated, but would ask that you check out our Statement of Faith page for a more detailed answer. We believe in the centrality of the local church in the Christian’s life (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 13:17). There are too many ‘Lone Ranger’ Christians around today. These are people who refrain from involvement in and association with a local church. We believe that Christians need each other, and that it was Christ who founded the local Church, and that forsaking Church attendance is disobeying Christ. (See Ephesians 4:11-17 and Hebrews 10:24-25). Meeting with other believers is a command, not a request. In a ‘Lone Ranger’ situation, where is the accountability? Where is the encouragement? Where is the warning against sin and danger? We believe that Christians need a good local Church to instruct, encourage, counsel and, if needed, correct them.
We believe that the preaching and teaching of the Word should be central in the life of the local church. The church, said the Apostle Paul, is “the pillar and ground of the truth” (I Timothy 3:15). In the language of Revelation 1:20, local churches are lamp stands. In other words, they are essentially sources of light, the light of the Word of God.
Many other things ought to be part of the local church: good fellowship for Christians, generous benevolence to the poor, missionary and evangelistic endeavours toward the lost; but it must never be forgotten that the fountain of all these things is the proclamation of the Word of God. Where Christ removes the lamp stand the church ceases to exist, even if the shell of a social club, a charitable organization, or a mission programme remains (Revelation 2:5).
We believe the church should be a spiritual family which cares about the spiritual welfare of its members (I Thessalonians 5:12-14; Philippians 2:1-5). Becoming a member of a local church is a commitment to the Lord and to the members of a local church. It means a willingness to be transparent, a willingness to be humble, and a willingness to undertake the obvious responsibilities of such a commitment (Ephesians 4:1-3, 25-32). Such a commitment ought not to be lightly undertaken or frivolously forsaken.
We believe that the policies, practices, and worship of the Church should be ordered by the Word of God. The Bible clearly says that the local Church is “the house of God”, “the church of the living God”, I Timothy 3:15. As such, the will of God, revealed in the Word of God, must regulate Church life. Pragmatism (‘what-will-work’) and tradition (the-way-we’ve-always-done-it) rule many churches. That ought not be the case! Our modern generation of church-goers need to be reminded again that it is following CHRIST that is to be our goal, not slick business/marketing-styled plans or traditions. Such is actually CONDEMNED in the Bible as ‘will worship’, see Colossians 2:23.
So, who are we? A group of believers banded together upon the foundation of God’s Word, which offers, through the Lord Jesus Christ, a new beginning, an edified walk, a blessed hope! Why not drop by on Sunday and try a service at Little Glory Baptist Church?
How can I find out more about you? If these convictions strike a responsive chord in your heart, if you have questions, or want more information, flip over to the ‘Contact Us’ page. We look forward to hearing from you soon!