some GBC distinctives

 

• We are Bible-centred. We believe God speaks powerfully today through his Word, and we want everything to be shaped by that.

 

• We want to honour Jesus. We are unashamed in our commitment to Jesus as the only way to God. He is literally alive and governs this church directly. We want to know, love and serve him better and better.

 

• We have plain, straightforward meetings. We speak in modern English and keep worship simple to stay focused on God, not ourselves.

 

• We want to be outward-looking. Without Christ, people dishonour him and are terribly lost in their sins. So local and global mission has to be a priority.

 

• We believe in the sovereignty of God over all things, not least in the salvation of sinners. By grace he chose us before we ever chose him.

 

• We seek to make prayer central to church life. Jesus said, ‘Apart from me you can do nothing.’ We believe it!

 

• We do not speak in tongues or prophesy. We believe that the Biblical way to honour these wonderful spiritual gifts is to recognise that they had a unique and temporary role in the founding of the early church.

 

• We are Baptist by Biblical conviction. So we only baptise believers, by immersion; we believe in having a defined church membership; we are independent of any external authority other than that of Christ; and we welcome to the Lord's Table anyone who is a baptised member of this or another Biblical church.

 

• We have male leadership. We believe the Bible is clear about the responsibility of men to lead the local church, and we seek to obey it.

 

• We value the idea of the ‘church family’. Churches ought to be places where both our diversity and unity are celebrated and worked at.

 

• We are very imperfect. We are still learning what it means to love God, each other and our community. We still have many faults, blind spots and weaknesses. Anyone who joins us in membership needs to be prepared for that – and prepared to join us in praying for the Spirit’s power in all we do.