What is Different About a Baptist Church?
First let us think about what makes us all Christians, despite our denominations.
- We believe that God loves us all, no matter what a chequered past we may have had
- We believe that God showed this amazing love is real, by sending his Son to earth to die for us
- If we believe in this incredible news, and turn back towards God, He will guide and protect us, so we are ready for the great reward in Heaven.
However, the Christian Church has grown up to have many branches. In the 17 – 18th centuries, people were looking at the amazing wealth of the Roman Catholic Church, and also of the New Church of England created by Henry VIII as they watched the poor struggling and dying around them. This was the poliferation of the non-conformist Churches, who preferred to spread their funds around rather than increasing the wealth of the church. Non-conformist churches, can be Baptist, Methodist, Congregational, United Reformed and so on. Largely speaking each of these churches is run democratically, with full recognised members having a vote at a church meeting.
There are a few differences between Baptists and the others. The most important one is in the name Baptist. We prefer to delay baptism [ceremony at a font with a small child] until that child has grown up enough to decide for themselves whether they want to commit themselves to following Jesus’ teachings. If families want to enlist the help of the congregation in the raising of their child, a simple service of dedication is available.
Those who wish to become a committed Christian and are ready to declare it, have a few preparation classes, leading up to a baptism that consists of a full immersion in the baptistry, symbolising the washing away of our old lives, and when we come up we are “reborn” into a new way of living. There is no fixed age at which Baptism is considered. The decision rests with the individual. A number of lifelong Baptist church members have not been baptised, and they are not judged because of it.
The other sacrament that is very important to us is Communion, where we have a symbolic piece of bread to remind us of Jesus’ bodily death and a sip of 0% wine from an individual glass to recall his blood being shed for the forgiveness of our sins. There are no rules about who can take it, as long as you are old enough to understand the meaning of the ceremony and feel you would like to join everyone else as we remember this part of Christ’s life and death.
Inclusivity is our watchword. We have a small team of lay preachers who go out and hold services in all Non-conformist denominations. We are happy to serve them, and they are happy to welcome us.
There is far more that unites us than divides us.