Our Mission Statement
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Exalt God, ascribing glory to Him in every endeavor of the church,
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Evangelize the lost, reaching them with the Gospel so that they may be converted, baptized, and brought into the household of faith, and
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Edify the saints, bringing them to maturity through education and encouragement.
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Our Statement of Faith
Section 1 -- Doctrine of the Bible
- We believe in the Bible as the verbally (every word) and plenarily (completely) inspired Word of God as contained in the original manuscripts; that all portions of Scripture are equally inspired and contain no contradiction; that the Scriptures are to be the only rule of faith and practice for the believer in Jesus Christ; and that the Canon, the sixty-six books of the Bible, is complete. Nothing shall be added to it nor taken from it (II Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 1:1; II Peter 1:20-21; Revelation 22:18-19).
Section 2 -- Doctrine of God
- We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections; and are worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience (Genesis 1:1; Genesis 1:25; John 1:1; John 14:16-17; I Timothy 3:16).
Section 3 -- Doctrine of Jesus Christ
- We believe in the essential Deity and Virgin Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; that He was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, not having human father, and is true God and true Man; that He is man's only hope of salvation from sin, being the only Mediator between God and man; that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day for our sins according to the Scriptures; that His return for His Church, the Body of Christ, which He will take with Himself into heaven, is imminent; and that He will come to this earth to set up His millennial reign (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-4; John 10:30; John 14:6; I Timothy 2:5-6; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:4-6).
Section 4 -- Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
- We believe the Holy Spirit to be coequal with the Father and with the Son. He is a Person. He came to this earth as the fulfillment of Christ's promise. He convicts, regenerates, indwells, seals, infills, empowers, and guides the believer (John 16:7-13; John 3:35; Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 1:13-14; Ephesians 5:18).
Section 5 -- Doctrine of Man
- We believe that God created man in His own image and that man sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is conscious and eternal separation from God. We believe that all men are born with a sinful nature, evidenced by sinful acts; that man is totally depraved; and that if he is not born again, he is eternally lost (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Luke 16:23; revelation 21:8; Romans 3:10-23; Romans 5:12; I Corinthians 15:21-22; Revelation 20:11-15).
Section 6 -- Doctrine of Salvation
- We believe that a person is saved when he repents of his sin and exercises faith by accepting Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. The believer is kept by the power of God and is eternally secure in Christ. The basis of our salvation is the precious blood of Christ according to I Peter 1:18-19, which states that we are redeemed "with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."
- We believe that the scope of salvation includes forgiveness of all our sins, past, present, and future; a perfect standing before God as in Jesus Christ; and the changing of our earthly body to be conformed like unto the body of our Lord at His return for His own.
- We believe that the attitude either of reconciliation or enmity toward God is eternally fixed at death. We further believe that there is an appointed day for the judgment of the wicked when they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, there to remain in everlasting conscious punishment and torment (John 1:12; John 5:24; John 10:28-29; Romans 6:23; II Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8-9; I John 5:17; Romans 8:19-23; I John 3:2; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Hebrews 9;27; II Peter 2:9; Revelation 20:12-15; Revelation 21:8).
Section 7 -- Doctrine of the Church
- We believe that the local church is composed of the following:
a. A local group of believers who are autonomous and self-governing with no ecclesiastical organization in authority
over them;
b. Believers who are baptized by immersion;
c. Believers who are organized; they have for their officers pastors, deacons, and such other leaders as God has given
special gifts to render as a ministry to the church;
d. Believers who meet regularly for fellowship, worship, and Bible study;
e. Believers who observe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper;
f. Believers who carry out the Great Commission (I Corinthians 12:13; Acts 2; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Corinthians
16:9; I Corinthians 12; Hebrews 10:25; I Corinthians 11:23-24; Matthew 28:18-20).
Section 8 -- Doctrine of Satan and Fallen Angels
- We believe that Satan is a person. He is a created being who sinned and became the arch enemy of God and His creation. He is the chief adversary of God's children. He seeks to keep man from the Lord; and when he cannot succeed in this, he seeks to weaken the testimony of Christians. He has at his command a great host of fallen angels and demons to carry out his purposes. He is not omnipotent and can be overcome by the power of God. His doom is sealed in the Lake of Fire forever and ever (Ezekiel 28:12-19; Isaiah 14:12-14; Revelation 12:10; Revelation 20:10).
Section 9 -- Doctrine of Last Things
- We believe there will be a resurrection of all, first the just at the coming of Jesus Christ, and finally the unjust after the millennium. The saints are raised to be forever with the Lord, and the unsaved will be confined for eternity in the Lake of Fire. We believe in the "Blessed Hope," which is the personal, bodily, pretribulational, premillennial, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior for His Church (the rapture) and His later return to the earth in power and glory with His saints to set up His Kingdom (the millennium) (John 14:13; Acts 1:9; Acts 1:11; Acts 24:15; I Corinthians 15:3-20; Philippians 3:20; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 7:25; I John 2:1-2; Revelation 21:1-8).
Section 10 -- Doctrine of Separation
- We believe that God commands Christians to be a separated people according to II Corinthians 6:17-18 and 7:1 -- "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
- The Farmington Avenue Baptist Church will be separated from all forms of apostasy and religious inclusivism. We reject the ecumenical movement joining all churches into one body regardless of doctrine or practice and the charismatic renewal movement with its unscriptural emphasis on tongues and healing. The church will enjoy fellowship with churches of like faith and order but will have no part in any council of churches that is ecumenical in nature or thrust.
- We believe Christians are to be personally separated from all worldly practices that hinder spiritual growth and stability. We believe that a Christian should live a holy life and maintain a testimony consistent with the New Testament.
Section 11 -- Doctrine of Christian Practice
- The Farmington Avenue Baptist Church believes that a Christian should live a holy life, be separated from the world, and maintain a testimony consistent with the New Testament. We also believe that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we all should walk together in Christian knowledge, holiness, and godliness; hold a conviction that, Christianity is a way of life and therefore should be propagated through Bible-centered and Christ-centered Christian schooling; promote the prosperity and spirituality of this church; sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; contribute cheerfully; and regularly support the church with our tithes and offerings so that the ministry is supported, expenses are met, the poor are helped, and the Gospel is spread through the nations.
- This church encourages all of our members to maintain family and private devotions; to rear the children with Christian schooling from kindergarten through twelfth grade and then encourage the attending of a Christian college; to seek the salvation of kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to be zealous in our effort to win souls to Christ; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; and to abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drink as a beverage and from the improper sale and use of drugs.
- We further encourage each member to show brotherly love toward one another; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense but always ready for reconciliation and, mindful of the rules of the Savior, to secure it without delay.
- Should the will of God direct any to move from this area, we encourage each, as soon as possible, to unite with some other church of like faith and practice and thereby continue living a testimony for Christ and living the principles of God's Word.
Section 12 -- Doctrine of Christian Education
- The Farmington Avenue Baptist Church believes that the children of our families need an education that trains children not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly (Psalm 1:1). The families need to obey Colossians 2:8, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
- Therefore, the Farmington Avenue Baptist Church believes that it must provide a Christian school to train the young people, and that it must encourage all member families to enroll their children in a Christian school. We believe that we must see that our children are protected according to Proverbs 19:17, "Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge."
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