What We Believe
Core Beliefs:
We are gospel Christians
Our core beliefs are those truths which are foundational to the Christian faith. They include basic teaching about who God is, how he has revealed himself to us, what he is doing in his Creation, and how we relate to him.
At the very core of Christianity is the truth of the gospel. We understand certain doctrinal truths to be essential for conversion, reconciliation to God, and deliverance from God’s justice. They summarize what we must believe in order to be a Christian. The gospel is the good news that, though we have all rebelled against the God who created us, God planned a way to show mercy when we deserved judgment. The Father sent his Son Jesus, who Himself shared God’s very nature, into our world. Jesus was born of a virgin, taking on human flesh in order to share our nature. Jesus Christ, lived the life that the Father demanded of us but that we could not live, and he died the death that the Father required of us as sinners, though He Himself was without sin. Jesus’ death satisfied God’s justice for all those who turn in faith from idolatrous rebellion to worship him alone. His resurrection declares the Father’s acceptance of his sacrifice and our hope of resurrection as well. God’s grace offers eternal life in his presence to all who receive this work of Jesus Christ. This is the gospel; this is Christianity.
Characteristic Beliefs:
We are Confessional Baptists in the tradition of the Reformation
Our characteristic beliefs are those truths we must hold in common in order to function together as a church. Though faithful Christians throughout church history have disagreed on the particular doctrines that characterize a fellowship of believers, we realize that our distinctive convictions demand agreement in the context of a local church. These characteristic beliefs affect how Christians function together as a church. Though some of these beliefs may not be essential for salvation, they are essential for close fellowship and partnership in our local body of believers.
It is such truths, along with the core doctrines of the Christian church mentioned above, that we confess together as a church. As a confessional church, we identify with such confessions that are historically Christian, Evangelical and Baptist. Our congregation affirms the 1853 New Hampshire Baptist Confession and teaches in accord with it.
As Baptists, we believe that only believers who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are to be baptized. This act serves as an external declaration of the internal converting work that Christ has accomplished. We believe that biblical language and imagery portrays baptism as immersion in water.
When we say that we are in the tradition of the Reformation that means that we embrace what are sometimes called the doctrines of God’s sovereign grace in salvation, and at other times it is called Calvinism. To find out more, see What we believe about Calvinism.
Charity Beliefs:
Let us love one another.
To be sure, there will always be areas in the Christian life in which brothers and sisters in Christ must agree to disagree. These matters may not be unimportant, but they are not essential to the gospel or to fellowship in a local church. They do not undermine the core of Christian doctrine or the characteristic beliefs of our congregation. We call these beliefs, charity beliefs.
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