BIBLIBCAL | MISSIONAL | REFORMED
Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord,
and we focus on Sharing the “Good News” about Jesus Christ!
Autonomous, Independent Christian Church of the Baptist Tradition
West Side Baptist Church is an evangelical Protestant Christian congregation that believes and practices our faith with the majority of conservative Christian around the world. We believe and practice the historic (unchanging) truths of the Christian Church around the world, renewed in the Reformed Tradition (Reformation), as we cherish peculiar distinctives which make the Baptist faith and traditions unique (see https://www.baptistdistinctives.org), including, but not limited to:
THE BIBLE – WE BELIEVE the Holy Bible (the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments) is the inspired, infallible, reliable and authoritative word of God, recording the sole true revelation of God in Jesus by the Holy Spirit, and is the only Biblical authority for faith and practice. The Bible contains everything a person needs to know God, be saved by God through faith in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, related with God, and live a godly Christian life, now and forever.
THE GOSPEL – WE BELIEVE in sharing the gospel, or “good news,” of God’s redeeming love in Jesus Christ with others to spread the message of salvation, plant churches, and world-wide evangelism. We actively share our faith through witnessing and good works so every person hears and receives an invitation of conversion.
FAITH: A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH GOD IN JESUS CHRIST – WE BELIEVE that conversion and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ are essential for salvation because lives need to be transformed through a “born-again” experience and a lifelong process of following Jesus. Every person has the God-given freedom and ability to know and respond to God’s grace and will – including rejecting God or practicing no faith without outside interference or coercion – and make choices that decide their lifestyle and future.
THE CHURCH: REGENERATED FELLOWSHIP – WE BELIEVE Christ’s church is a fellowship of redeemed persons who have voluntarily followed Jesus as Lord and voluntarily associated with one another under God’s lordship and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We believe that only persons with a personal, saving relationship with Jesus should be members of a local congregation. Faithful friendship and fellowship of saved persons is critical for Christian growth and faith, therefore, every believer should be a member of a local church who are gathered together as God’s redeemed fellowship. While becoming a Christian is an individual response to faith, growing and living as a Christian is enhanced by weekly meetings with other Christians. We were created for community and healthy relationships, therefore, a godly fellowship experience in a local is encouraged.
GOVERNANCE – WE BELIEVE the best way to organize and run a church is congregationalism, where all local congregations are autonomy, free, independent, and self-governing. Each fellowship of gathered believers, among other things, has self-rule (self-governance and direction) under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and, therefore, is free to select its leadership – both lay and clergy, determine its worship form, decide its affiliation or none, direct its financial matters, own and care for its property, elect representatives and delegates who speak freely on matters of common concern, and direct other church-related affairs without outside control or supervision. Denominational organizations, although help with missional cooperation, have no authority over a local church.
MISSIONAL CHRISTIAN SERVICE – WE BELIEVE Christians and churches can do more together than by ourselves. “Mission” is a wide-ranging concept. It implies all the varied work we undertake as individuals, churches and organizations in applying our faith and in sharing the Gospel message with others. Mission is an awesome invitation and responsibility, and an endeavor that can never be exhausted. We undertake it realizing that only with God’s help can the immense task of Christian mission be accomplished. The local congregations and regional and national organizations work together to live out ministries in the name of Christ with many people in many places. Prominent among them are: Evangelism, Leader Development, Ministries of Healing, Ministries that Seek Justice, Ministries to Families, Children and Youth, and more.
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE – WE BELIEVE government should not establish or exercise control over faith and religious practices. Christians are called to obey and uphold government, civil authority, magistrates, and the law, but may refuse to recognize the authority of governments in matters of conscience, such as religious doctrine, church polity and ministry (Matthew 22:21). We have consistently rejected the efforts of any secular government entity to dictate to a church what to believe, how to worship or who should or should not be members.
