Our
Name: Grace Baptist Church
Grace is
at the core of what we
believe (the doctrines of grace), and how we live (we were saved by
grace, and
we are enabled to live the Christian life by grace).
Baptist expresses some of our distinctives - namely a conviction of believers only baptism by immersion only and a proud history of Bible-centered thinking.
Finally,
Church is
simply the designation that God has given for any biblical local body.
It is a
term rich with meaning and we wear it proudly.
Our
Mission: We exist to see the hearts and minds of
all people consumed by the matchless glory of Christ.
In
this statement we strive
to seek a biblical balance. Too often churches will either shun
doctrine and
promote the emotional or will shun emotion and exalt the mind.
Biblically, these
things cannot be separated. God commands the whole of our being. We
must lead
with our minds and be fueled by our hearts. We
are consciously
aware of the need to minister in the local region where God has placed
us. At
the same time, we recognize that we are part of the universal body of
Christ. As
such our concern is not only for our particular tribe, but for the
kingdom of
God as a whole. The chief end of man is to
glorify
God and enjoy him forever. One theologian has modified that to say that
our
chief end is to glorify God by enjoying him forever. He further
explains that God
is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Thus the
unparalleled glory of Christ is our chief end, and that is attained,
not by
half-hearted interest, but by being absolutely consumed by Christ. That
is our
passion for ourselves and for others. | 