Dawley Baptist Church
Basis of Faith
Dawley Baptist Church is a member of Baptists Together, and supports its Declaration of Principle, which is:...
That our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, is the sole and absolute authority in all matters relating to faith and practice, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, and that each church has the liberty, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to interpret and administer His Laws.
That Christian Baptism is the immersion in water into the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, of those who have professed repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who 'died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried and rose again on the third day’.
That it is the duty of every disciple to bear personal witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to take part in the evangelisation of the World.
Our Basis of Faith
We believe in :-
The one true God who lives eternally in three persons; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28 v 19)
The love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world. (1Chronicles 29 v 10-13)
The divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God; fully trustworthy for faith and conduct. (2 Timothy 3 v 16)
The dignity of all people, made male and female in God's image to love, be holy and care for creation, yet corrupted by sin, which God alone will judge. (Gen 1 v 27)
The incarnation of God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; born of the virgin Mary; fully divine and fully human, yet without sin. (John 1 v 1-14; Isaiah 7 v 14; 9 v 6 & 7)
The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God. (John 3 v 16; 1 John 2 v 2)
The bodily resurrection of Christ, the first fruits of our resurrection; His ascension to the Father, and His reign and mediation as the only Saviour of the world. (1 Corinthians 15 v 20 - 23)
The justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ. (Ephesians 2 v 8)
The ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness. (John 14 v 26; 16 v 12-15)
The Church, the body of Christ both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers; given life by the Holy Spirit and endowed with the Spirit's gifts to worship God and proclaim the gospel, minister to one another, promoting justice and love. (1 Peter 2 v 9 &10; Matthew 5 v 14 -16)
The personal and visible return of Jesus Christ to fulfil the purposes of God, who will raise all people to judgement, bring eternal life to the redeemed and eternal condemnation to the lost, and establish a new heaven and new earth. (Matthew 25 v 31-40; Acts 1 v 11)
These beliefs are practically expressed in our values, which aim to be Christ centred, as a community that Listens, Learns, Loves and Lives.
Listens - We believe that God has created each of us unique. Therefore your story is important. We will listen to your story and offer you a welcome regardless of your background or circumstances.
Learns - We believe that God always has more to teach us. We are a community committed to learning from one another and from the Bible, so that our character may be continually transformed in truly life-giving ways to become more Christ like.
Loves - We believe that to follow Christ means sacrificially reaching out to others and offering them hope and purpose through words and action.
Lives - We believe that to follow Christ is to truly make sense of life. We are committed to continually seeking and celebrate the God who journeys with us and came to bring us life.... life in all it's fullness
Jesus said.....
'I have come that they might have life...in all it's fullness (John 10 v 10)
We believe that as a practical demonstration of following Jesus, we encourage believers to follow Christ's own example in being Baptised by total immersion. Whilst this is not necessary for salvation, it demonstrates full commitment and obedience to Jesus.
We also believe that regular observance of The Lord's Supper is part of our life together. We do this to commemorate Jesus' death for us all and is an opportunity for each of us to be part of our communion with Him in the company of fellow believers. Participation is open to all who believe in Jesus Christ.
This Basis of Faith was formally adopted by a unanimous vote at the church meeting held on Sunday 13th July 2025.
Signed on behalf of the Members of Dawley Baptist Church
Geoff Davenport
Church Secretary