What Carey Believes
What is different about Carey and other mainstream Baptists? How do our beliefs contrast with other Christian church groups? 1. The Supremacy of ScriptureCarey, together with most Baptists, and many other Christian groups, believes that the Bible tells us all about God and his love for mankind. The supreme example of his love was Jesus Christ who, even though he was the Son of God, came to Earth and died on the cross as a sacrifice for our wrongs. We worship God through Jesus Christ. We learn from the Bible the essential principles of faith and practice for the Church as Christ himself revealed them. The writings of the New Testament give us direction and it is by these standards that we must seek to regulate our conduct. 2. The Nature of the ChurchOur concept of the Church (capital "C") is that it is a fellowship of all those who believe in Jesus Christ. He founded the Church which carries his name and where his Holy Spirit is active. A group of believers meeting together form a local church (small "c"), which is a self-governing fellowship under the authority of Christ through the Holy Spirit. The vital relationship to Christ which is implied by membership in a local church carries with it membership of Christ’s Church universal which is both now and eternal. To worship and serve in such a local Christian community is, for us, the essence of churchmanship. 3. The Church Members’ MeetingCarey, like other Baptist churches, is self-governing through its church members’ meeting, as guided by Jesus Christ through his Holy Spirit. We believe that he guides all decisions made by the gathered church as they seek to come to a "common mind". As the 1948 Baptist statement of principles says: 4. The MinistryCarey, and other Baptists, believes that men and women with particular gifts should be set apart and commissioned for specific tasks. People who feel that God is calling them to become Pastors and Ministers tell the church meeting which, if it accepts the rightness of the call, advises the local Baptist Association which tests their calling through a process of Ministerial Recognition. If it is agreed that the call is God-given, they are accepted for study at a suitable theological college, after which they offer themselves for appointment to a church. They are ordained (appointed ceremonially to Christian ministry) as Ministers and inducted to the particular church that called them. The members of the church and congregation make weekly or monthly contributions towards the cost of the Minister’s stipend; there is no central funding for ministry. 5. WorshipSunday worship generally follows a non-conformist pattern with hymns and songs, scriptural readings and prayers (either recited from a book or spoken without preparation), all forming important parts. Carey varies the pattern of worship, Sunday by Sunday, using a range of traditional and contemporary styles in order to provide something for everyone. Whatever the form of worship, the emphasis is placed on Bible teaching and its relevance to today. 6. Baptism and MembershipCarey, along with other Baptists, believes that God calls men and women to follow him. When a person hears the call they are free to choose to follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, or to reject his call. Ideally, the decision to follow Jesus should be followed by baptism. Baptism, as practiced in the New Testament, involved complete immersion of the candidate in water after he/she accepted the call to follow Jesus. Baptism symbolizes the forgiveness of sins both by the use of water (which washes) and by the identification with Christ who was himself baptized by John in the river Jordan. We follow the tradition established by Jesus, his disciples and the first New Testament churches, and the candidate is completely immersed in water by the presiding Minister, witnessed by the gathered church, which offers its Christian love and support. 7. Baptists as "Dissenters"Because Carey and other Baptists are not subject to hierarchical church government, they often lead the way in human rights issues and have been responsible for many changes in social structures such as slavery and penal reform. Baptists in this country and abroad are active in many worldwide issues of human rights and conscience, and action against torture. |
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