Our Doctrinal and Philosophical Distinctives
for a "21st Century Independent Baptist" church:


Click here for link to Expanded Doctrinal Statement

 

Doctrinal Distinctives:

  • Commitment to the Word of God --

    • The Inerrancy, Authority and Sufficiency of the Bible is absolute. The inspired scriptures, as contained in the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, are our final authority for faith and practice

  • Commitment to the Gospel of God --

    • The essence of the Gospel is "Salvation by Grace alone, through Faith alone, in Christ alone."

  • Commitment to the Sovereignty of God --

    • The purpose and working of the Triune God in Creation, Redemption, Judgment and all History is for the manifesting of His sovereignty and the maximizing of His glory

  • Commitment to the Holiness of God --

    • The message, ministries, and lifestyles of God's people, both corporately and individually, ought to be a reflection of the righteousness of God and His antithesis to all that is worldly

  • Commitment to the Worship of God --

    • It is our privilege and obligation to respond doxologically to God's self-revelation. Our worship (proclamation, prayer, giving, and praise) therefore must be God-honoring, sincere, sacrificial, and reverent. As such, our worship necessarily reflects a more traditional, God-centered format

  • Commitment to the Church of God --

    • The plan of God for this dispensation is fundamentally fleshed out through the activities of local churches in accordance with the NT pattern of the primacy and autonomy of the "local church"

  • Commitment to the Declaration of God's Word --

    • The need, and Biblical mandate, for the primacy of declaring the whole council of God is clear. This end is most effectively and legitimately pursued through the use of expository preaching, and a grammatical-historical exegesis and interpretation of the Scriptures

  • Commitment to the Giftedness of God's People --

    • The body of Christ is universally and purposefully gifted by God. We value and promote an "every-member" ministry philosophy for the building up of the body and the spread of the Gospel.
    Philosophical Distinctives:

    21st Century
  • flexible and responsive, "having an understanding of the times" so as to "know what to do" (1 Ch 12:32)
  • respecting tradition without being bound by traditionalism (ie. ministering in the present, not the past)
  • "contemporary" in the sense that its ministries and methodologies ought to be a reflection of the people and needs of today (yet aware that much of what is termed "contemporary" is also "worldly" and/or man-centered . . . and therefore illegitimate)
    Independent

  • unaffiliated with any denominational body
  • self-governed and self-supporting
  • self-determining in all matters of practice and association
  • yet aware of our inter-dependence and mutual accountability with other local churches of like faith and practice

    • Baptist

  • holding to and defending the historic orthodox doctrines of our Baptist forefathers
  • practicing believer's baptism by immersion
  • defending and respecting individual soul liberty
  • affirming the importance of church membership and accountability
  • recognizing the two biblical offices of pastors (elders) and deacons established by God for leadership and service

    Christ centered * Word controlled * Holy Spirit dependent * God honoring


    Commited to biblical, balanced separatism:
  • rejecting compromise with the world, false teachers and disobedient brethren ... while also opposing a hyper-separatism rooted in traditionalism, pietism and/or the illegitimate application of biblical principles.

     Commited to the mission of glorifying God by making and maturing disciples who are:
  • growing in Christlikeness,
  • demonstrating love and obedience
  • exercising their spiritual gifts in one-another ministry to the Body.

    •  
     


    © 2010 Gateway Baptist church
    Questions or comments, contact: info@gatewaybaptistaz.org