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1. The Word of God We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. 2. The Trinity We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption. 3. God the Father We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of each person, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. 4. Jesus Christ We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth. 5. The Holy Spirit We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide. 6. Regeneration We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. 7. The Church We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible confession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world. 8. Christian Conduct We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. 9. The Ordinances We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. 10. Religious Liberty We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other. 11. Church Cooperation We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether a regional or district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowships on a voluntary basis. 12. The Last Things We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked.
7 CHARACTERISTICS OF BGC CHURCHES For more than 120 years, the people of the Baptist General Conference have met in annual meetings. That's a lot of meetings. Times have changed and so have we since that first meeting of delegates from 65 churches. 120 years of change begs the question: What is it that unites us as a fellowship? What is the glue that keeps our nearly 900 churches from splintering into factions or even new denominations? Churches from 19 difference ethnic groups, in diverse settings, with varied styles of worship and leadership. What is it that makes the Baptist General Conference who and what we are? It is our core values...those underlying beliefs that guide our choices, commitments and actions. Let's take a quick look at seven shared values that define who we are as members of BGC churches. Our first shared value is that we have personally and cooperatively devoted ourselves to do everything in our power to bring glory to God. BGC people have a personal, passionate love for Jesus Christ and for His glory. This idea goes back a ways. The Swedish immigrants who left their homeland in the middle and late 1800s brought with them this living, passionate faith - in reaction to the cold formalism and persecution of the state church. They were known for their "piety," their devotion to God. And so are we today. Like BGC pastor John Piper, we desire to see God supreme in all things, so He will receive the glory He so deserves. Second, we are people of the Word. The Bible is our only and sufficient authority for faith and our life as Christ's followers. Those immigrant Swedes gathered in läsare, "Bible reader's" groups, so they could know the truth for themselves. They huddled for prayer and mutual support, striving to live pure and holy lives in a corrupt world. A lot like today's small groups. Third, our predecessors were marked by incessant evangelism, discipling and baptizing lost people. This was true for both pastors and lay people. And it's still true today, through district church planting and TeAMerica, our national church planting movement. Fourth, we work to practice a peaceable spirit. While we may disagree on a variety of issues, we do so with humility and respect as each pursues understanding under the leading of God's Word and the Holy Spirit. The immigrant Swedes called this an 'irenic spirit,' and it distinguishes us from many other Baptist groups. Fifth, we're committed to training godly pastors and leaders. For those early immigrants, separated from the mainstream culture by language and beliefs, training pastors and leaders was vital to preserving their living faith. So in the 1870s John Alexis Edgren began the Swedish Baptist Seminary. Today we call it Bethel, with college and seminary campuses in St. Paul, Minnesota, and seminary in San Diego, California. Changing the World groups are providing support and a strategic planning path for pastors and churches. Our global church enrichment division provides services to strengthen churches: resources, consultation, and ministry events And the Hispanic Bible School trains pastors and church leaders for this growing ethnic group. Sixth, we're committed to reaching the lost overseas-ever since Johanna Anderson sailed for Burma in 1888. This means we send missionaries and work in kingdom-building partnerships with indigenous missionaries and agencies in 19 countries. We start churches, including among many unreached people groups, train pastors and church leaders, provide compassionate health care services, and use many creative ways to gain access for the gospel in restricted countries. Finally, we are an ethnically diverse people. From a movement by and for Swedish immigrants, God has transformed us into a diverse family of 19 ethnic cultures. With all the life, vigor and challenges this implies. So, who are we as members of the Baptist General Conference? We are a people who...have a passion to glorify God, are committed to the Bible's authority, fervently practice evangelism and church planting, debate issues with a peacemaking spirit, are committed to training godly leaders and fostering healthy churches, are reaching the lost around the globe, and are an ethnically diverse community of faith. Of course we also share the historic Baptist distinctives of believer's baptism by immersion, membership for believers only, separation of church and state, and a democratic form of church government. These things define who we are...as individual disciples of Jesus Christ, and as a fellowship of churches. These values are part of our identity in the larger body of Christ. They define the culture we share in this warm family of believers. We are the Baptist General Conference. |