We affirm "The Baptist Faith and Message (2000 edition)" as a doctrinal statement of our Christian beliefs (Click Here to review a summary of the statements of faith from this book). Therefore, while the following foundational principles fall within the parameters of such a confessional statement, they are also considered here because of their importance in helping us fulfill our vision through the five eternal purposes of His church.
1) The Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired word of God and is truth without mixture of error.
2) Every believer has the responsibility of being a witness for Jesus Christ. Therefore, all believers live under the call to reach out to others within their circle of influence and share with them the truth of the Gospel.
3) The needs of a non-Christian differ from those of a believer. For instance, the un-churched person rarely understands Christian terminology and has little or no knowledge of basic Christian principles. Therefore, it is imperative that believers minister to non-Christians with their perspective in mind.
4) Believers must respect the process that leads from unbelief . . . to faith in Christ . . . to Christian maturity. For the unbeliever, the decision to trust in Jesus Christ is usually preceded by a process of examining and evaluating the claims of the Christian faith. After conversion, believers must respect the process that leads to maturity as the new believer develops into a fully devoted disciple.
5) Because every believer is gifted by God to play a vital role in equipping and maturing the body of Christ, we must attempt to mobilize believers by challenging them to accept roles of leadership and service through the discovery, development, and implementation of their spiritual giftedness.