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When new people come to our church, they often ask about the Baptist denomination. If you were to Google the word Baptist, you would get over 41 million results to help you define the word. You will find web sites for huge Baptist churches and many small churches like ours. You may already be familiar with some of the larger Baptist churches, like Pastor Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church in LA, as he gave the invocation prayer for the presidential inauguration. Other notable Baptists range through all walks of life, from Billy Graham and Martin Luther King Jr. to Carrie Underwood and Johnny Cash. There are over 110 million Baptists worldwide and more than 220,000 churches. Baptists are considered the largest Protestant denomination in the world, with close to 40 million members in North America alone. Although many Baptist churches loosely belong to larger groups, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, there are almost as many other Baptist associations as there are Baptist congregations. You have probably seen many of them in our own area, ranging from First Baptists and American Baptists to Seventh Day Baptists and Progressive National Baptists, just to name a few.
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How is a Baptist different from any other Christian in this world? The short answer is that there isn’t much difference. We are Christians, and like all other Christians, we hold firmly to the basic tenants of Christianity - that there is one God who sent His son to die for our sins. Our salvation comes only through His grace by our belief in Jesus Christ as the son of God, his death and resurrection, and confession of Christ as Lord. We believe that Jesus will someday return to the earth to gather all believers, both living and dead. Many Baptist hymns sing of “what a glorious day that will be!” One of the concepts of Baptist doctrine that does differ from most other Christian denominations is the independent nature of each church. Many other Christian denominations require that the local church be administered by a larger central organization. In these cases, the central authority or a local board of directors dictates how the local church is operated, down to the details of the sermons and church decorations. Baptists have always insisted that each individual church is free to operate as they feel God has led them in their community. The churches develop their own unique constitutions stating their beliefs and missions for their church. The members of the congregation meet regularly to discuss and vote on issues, elect leaders, and perform all of the church business. This fact is what draws many people to the Baptist denomination - they want to belong to a community church that is free to decide how they will worship and serve God. Baptists also feel strongly that believers should be baptized. Baptism does not save someone, nor is it a requirement for entry into Heaven - it is a symbolic act of your confession of faith and a wonderful way to start your new life with Christ. The separation of Church and State is another strong Baptist belief. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal. This means that all people should have the right to seek God and develop their own religious opinions without interference or preferential treatment by any civil power.
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What are Baptists doing for the World? Even though the Baptist churches are independent, many belong to larger organizations, as mentioned above. Although these organizations to not take pat in the day-to-day operations of the local churches, they offer support and serve as a means to pool resources and provide enormous outreach to our world. First Baptist Church of Elverta belongs to local associations and the national Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The SBC operates hospitals and colleges, administers disaster relief, coordinates countless missionaries, and provides a host of other resources to most every country in the world.
How about here in our local Elverta and Rio Linda community? Part of the mission of a local church is to be a blessing to the community. At First Baptist Elverta, we look for every opportunity to reach out and serve our community. During the past year, our small church has worked hard to minister to the needs of our area, including:
If you are interested in a church that serves the community, you will find ample opportunities here at First Baptist Church of Elverta.
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Are Baptist Church services always a traditional service with hymns? Baptist churches are free to decide the format of their worship services. At First Baptist Elverta, we have both a traditional service and a contemporary service. The traditional worship includes an organ and piano and we sing the wonderful hymns that have been sung by generations. You are likely familiar with many of them, such as Victory in Jesus and Standing on the Promises. The contemporary worship service features vocals and full stage instruments (electric guitar, keyboard, drums, bass, etc) and contemporary Christian music.
You can sit, clap, or stand with your hands held high!
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Where can I get more Information? If you would
like more information about our church, feel free to contact the
pastors and other church leaders (Contact
Information) For more information on the Baptist denomination,
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