| Welcome to the First Baptist Church of Norwich 239 West Main Street Norwich, Connecticut Phone: 860-889-0369 |
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What You Need To Know About Baptists
The Baptist Churches across America today have a long and rich history in our country.
We are a part of the American Baptist Family
With 1.5 million members in 5,800 churches across the country, American Baptists are
the smallest of the many branches of the Baptist denomination in the United States.
There are approximately 5,000 American Baptist clergy in the U.S., six percent of
whom are women. The average American Baptist congregation is small—only 200
people. The First Baptist Church of Norwich has an average worship attendance of 115
people each week and a membership just over 200.
We also affiliate with the American Baptist Churches of Connecticut in order to do
cooperative ministry within our own state of Connecticut
What do American Baptists believe?
Foremost among beliefs firmly held by American Baptists is the acknowledgment that
Jesus Christ is our Redeemer and our Lord, and that through belief in Him we are
assured of eternal fellowship with a loving God. For us, the foundation of Christian
belief-- and the greatest event in all history-- is the drama of the first Easter week:
the death of Christ, in which He took upon Himself all the sins of the world, and the
Resurrection, which offers glorious proof of His teaching and His triumph over sin and
death.
Holy Scripture always has been for us the most authoritative guide to knowing and
serving the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer).
As the divinely-inspired word of God, the Bible for us reveals our faith and its
mandated practice.
Our affirmation of the priesthood of all believers arises from a conviction that all who
truly seek God are competent to approach God directly. We cherish the freedom
Christ has granted us as individual believers and distinctive congregations. The
Apostle Paul, in his letter to the church in Galatia and in other writings, emphasizes
that freedom. Because of that, we have tended to avoid embracing prepared creeds
or other statements that might compromise our obligation to interpret Scripture as
individuals within the community of faith under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Cherishing our own God-given gift of freedom has motivated us to support religious
freedom for all to seek God's will. Although this has allowed for distinctive opinions
within our congregations both on aspects of our faith and their application within
society, most of us would admit that dialog is a healthy means of spiritual growth. As it
encourages its members to seek continually the mind of Christ in all matters,
American Baptist Churches USA respects the variety of theological understandings
that its members, and other Christians, have embraced.
American Baptists partake of two ordinances exemplifying obedience to our Lord's
commands: believers' baptism and the Lord's Supper. We insist that baptism be
administered only to those who have the maturity to understand its profound
significance: resurrection to new life in Christ. And we follow the biblical example set
by Christ when we fully immerse in water, a beautiful symbolic statement of that new
life. The Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion, commemorates the sacrifice of our Lord.
The bread and cup that symbolize the broken body and shed blood offered by Christ
remind us today of God's great love for us-- just as they did for the disciples 2,000
years ago on the eve of the crucifixion
We have taken to heart the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19--the call to
evangelism: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything that I have commanded you" (NRSV). Since 1814, American Baptist
churches and the mission societies they created have been committed to mission: to
see the glory of God revealed in all the earth; to see Jesus Christ proclaimed as
Savior and Lord to all people and nations; to see churches started and growing; to see
the renewal of God's creation; and to see God's justice and peace reign in all the
world.
We take seriously all that Christ did during His brief but momentous years of
teaching and nurturing disciples and followers. We accept the ministries Christ
modeled as our ministries. In sincere imitation of our Savior's work, we have
attempted to be holistic. Understanding God's word as revealed in Scripture is of
great importance to us, and our churches have emphasized learning and teaching as
vital responsibilities. And because Christ ministered to the physical needs of persons
and acted as an advocate for those who had been mistreated, we hold that seeking
justice is an important component of ministry. We accept the wisdom of the New
Testament writer James, who maintained that those who truly have faith in Christ
necessarily live out that faith expressing compassion for others for whom He died.
We celebrate the special gifts of all believers, testifying that God can use each of us
in the overall outreach of ministry. Paul states that "apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors and teachers" all work for "building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11,12).
The affirmation of lay leaders as integral to church vitality and the ordination of
women, practiced in our denomination for more than a century, underscore the belief
that many have been called by God to serve.
How are American Baptists different?
We are ecumenical, as we tend to support and encourage unity among the various
divisions of the Christian religion.
We are very active in social justice issues.
We work at indigenous control of mission—a hands-on local approach—rather than a
central hierarchy of missionaries.
We are more moderate in interpretation of scripture. What does this mean? It means
the Bible is central to our faith and practice. We take the Bible very seriously as a
revelation of God's truth. We believe that the Bible is inspired by God. As we study
the scripture, we seek the Holy Spirit's guidance in interpreting its meaning.
How do American Baptists approach the world?
To some, the word Baptist symbolizes a set of narrow, judgmental and rigid beliefs.
However, American Baptists stand for moderation, inclusiveness and a pioneering
spirit. We celebrate a rich history of ground breaking work in support of:
* overseas ministries
* evangelizing the American frontier
* Christian higher education and campus chaplaincy programs
* education for African Americans
* Christian education in the church setting
* women in ministry
* ethnic evangelism, urban ministry, advocacy and Christian social concerns
* ecumenical relationships
* religious liberty and issues of human conscience.
The Baptist Churches across America today have a long and rich history in our country.
We are a part of the American Baptist Family
With 1.5 million members in 5,800 churches across the country, American Baptists are
the smallest of the many branches of the Baptist denomination in the United States.
There are approximately 5,000 American Baptist clergy in the U.S., six percent of
whom are women. The average American Baptist congregation is small—only 200
people. The First Baptist Church of Norwich has an average worship attendance of 115
people each week and a membership just over 200.
We also affiliate with the American Baptist Churches of Connecticut in order to do
cooperative ministry within our own state of Connecticut
What do American Baptists believe?
Foremost among beliefs firmly held by American Baptists is the acknowledgment that
Jesus Christ is our Redeemer and our Lord, and that through belief in Him we are
assured of eternal fellowship with a loving God. For us, the foundation of Christian
belief-- and the greatest event in all history-- is the drama of the first Easter week:
the death of Christ, in which He took upon Himself all the sins of the world, and the
Resurrection, which offers glorious proof of His teaching and His triumph over sin and
death.
Holy Scripture always has been for us the most authoritative guide to knowing and
serving the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer).
As the divinely-inspired word of God, the Bible for us reveals our faith and its
mandated practice.
Our affirmation of the priesthood of all believers arises from a conviction that all who
truly seek God are competent to approach God directly. We cherish the freedom
Christ has granted us as individual believers and distinctive congregations. The
Apostle Paul, in his letter to the church in Galatia and in other writings, emphasizes
that freedom. Because of that, we have tended to avoid embracing prepared creeds
or other statements that might compromise our obligation to interpret Scripture as
individuals within the community of faith under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Cherishing our own God-given gift of freedom has motivated us to support religious
freedom for all to seek God's will. Although this has allowed for distinctive opinions
within our congregations both on aspects of our faith and their application within
society, most of us would admit that dialog is a healthy means of spiritual growth. As it
encourages its members to seek continually the mind of Christ in all matters,
American Baptist Churches USA respects the variety of theological understandings
that its members, and other Christians, have embraced.
American Baptists partake of two ordinances exemplifying obedience to our Lord's
commands: believers' baptism and the Lord's Supper. We insist that baptism be
administered only to those who have the maturity to understand its profound
significance: resurrection to new life in Christ. And we follow the biblical example set
by Christ when we fully immerse in water, a beautiful symbolic statement of that new
life. The Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion, commemorates the sacrifice of our Lord.
The bread and cup that symbolize the broken body and shed blood offered by Christ
remind us today of God's great love for us-- just as they did for the disciples 2,000
years ago on the eve of the crucifixion
We have taken to heart the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19--the call to
evangelism: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything that I have commanded you" (NRSV). Since 1814, American Baptist
churches and the mission societies they created have been committed to mission: to
see the glory of God revealed in all the earth; to see Jesus Christ proclaimed as
Savior and Lord to all people and nations; to see churches started and growing; to see
the renewal of God's creation; and to see God's justice and peace reign in all the
world.
We take seriously all that Christ did during His brief but momentous years of
teaching and nurturing disciples and followers. We accept the ministries Christ
modeled as our ministries. In sincere imitation of our Savior's work, we have
attempted to be holistic. Understanding God's word as revealed in Scripture is of
great importance to us, and our churches have emphasized learning and teaching as
vital responsibilities. And because Christ ministered to the physical needs of persons
and acted as an advocate for those who had been mistreated, we hold that seeking
justice is an important component of ministry. We accept the wisdom of the New
Testament writer James, who maintained that those who truly have faith in Christ
necessarily live out that faith expressing compassion for others for whom He died.
We celebrate the special gifts of all believers, testifying that God can use each of us
in the overall outreach of ministry. Paul states that "apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors and teachers" all work for "building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11,12).
The affirmation of lay leaders as integral to church vitality and the ordination of
women, practiced in our denomination for more than a century, underscore the belief
that many have been called by God to serve.
How are American Baptists different?
We are ecumenical, as we tend to support and encourage unity among the various
divisions of the Christian religion.
We are very active in social justice issues.
We work at indigenous control of mission—a hands-on local approach—rather than a
central hierarchy of missionaries.
We are more moderate in interpretation of scripture. What does this mean? It means
the Bible is central to our faith and practice. We take the Bible very seriously as a
revelation of God's truth. We believe that the Bible is inspired by God. As we study
the scripture, we seek the Holy Spirit's guidance in interpreting its meaning.
How do American Baptists approach the world?
To some, the word Baptist symbolizes a set of narrow, judgmental and rigid beliefs.
However, American Baptists stand for moderation, inclusiveness and a pioneering
spirit. We celebrate a rich history of ground breaking work in support of:
* overseas ministries
* evangelizing the American frontier
* Christian higher education and campus chaplaincy programs
* education for African Americans
* Christian education in the church setting
* women in ministry
* ethnic evangelism, urban ministry, advocacy and Christian social concerns
* ecumenical relationships
* religious liberty and issues of human conscience.