Statement of Beliefs of Highlawn Baptist Church

1.     The Holy Bible is the inerrant Word of God and serves as the basis for all doctrine and practice.

2.     The Holy Spirit inspired the human authors of the Scriptures who recorded God’s revelation to man.

3.     God is One but exists as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

4.     God is eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, and sovereign.

5.     Jesus Christ was fully human and fully divine as He lived on earth. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, physically died, and was raised again to complete the redemption of sinful mankind. Jesus returned bodily to earth to receive His followers.

6.     The Holy Spirit is a person who convicts people of sin, brings regeneration to those who accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on their behalf, and dwells within each believer enabling them to live a life acceptable and pleasing to God through a new life born of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit prays for us, and gives gifts of ministry as well as teaching, and provides guidance for the building of the church.

7.     Angels have a ministry and Satan exists.

8.     The Church is God’s ordained institution for working out his plan of salvation on earth. Therefore it is the mission of the church to evangelize the world and nurture all Christians through worship, teaching, and fellowship as they reach the level of Christian maturity planned for them by God.

9.     Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a prerequisite for the privileges of Church membership.

10.  The role of lay Christians is to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of ministry, the expenses of the Church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel. The Pastor will help to equip the laity for the work of ministry as he leads us to function as a New Testament Church.

What We Believe As American Baptists

1.     American Baptists believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, and that the Bible is the divinely inspired word of God that serves as the final written authority for living out the Christian faith.

2.     For American Baptists the local church is the fundamental unit of mission in denominational life.

3.     American Baptists partake of two ordinances: believers’ baptism and The Lord’s Supper.

4.     American Baptists believe that the committed individual Christian can and should approach God directly, and that individual gifts of ministry should be shared.

5.     American Baptists take seriously the call to evangelism and missionary work.

6.     American Baptists support religious freedom and respect the expressions of faith of others.

7.     American Baptists acknowledge that God’s family extends beyond our local churches, and that God calls us to cooperative ministries.

8.     American Baptists have been called to be Christ’s witnesses for justice and wholeness within a broken society.

9.     American Baptist Churches USA celebrates the racial, cultural and theological diversity witnessed within its membership.

10.  American Baptists heed the biblical call to renewal and the need for a vital witness in a new millennium.