Our Beliefs
First Baptist Church of Emporia is an American Baptist Church,
We participate in Communion the 1st Sunday of each month. We use some form of bread to represent Christ's body being broken for us on the Cross--reminding us of his death. We also use grape juice to represent Christ's blood being shed for our sins.
Most all Christian Faiths have this common belief: That Christ (a.k.a. Jesus) died to atone for our sins--in a sense erasing them--and giving us the opportunity to have eternal salvation (a fancy way of saying that we get to live in heaven forever). We believe that the only way to the Father is through the Son. (In other words, we believe that one must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and give his/her heart to him to receive eternal life with God in heaven.)
Doctrinal Statements
of Faith
We believe the Bible is the Divinely inspired Word of God.
We believe that God exists eternally and that He manifests Himself in 3 Ways: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (the example of water often helps to understand this concept. Water can be in the form of liquid water, ice, or steam)
We believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, and that He was and is God, and He lived and walked on this earth in the form of a man.
We believe that Jesus was crucified and died, and that 3 days later he rose from the dead.
We believe Jesus is the one and only Savior through whom all sinners can find forgivness and salvation. (each and every one of us fall into the category of being a sinner)
We believe that Salvation is a gift of grace from God, and that it is not something that can be earned. It is not possible to work one's way into heaven.
We believe Jesus will come again to this world to rule and reign in righteousness, and that His coming again is imminent, and that it will be literal, personal, visible and sudden.
One way American Baptists differ from other Baptists is that we Ordain (allow) female ministers. We also have women serving in leadership roles in our congregations.
Our Pastors are not chosen for us. Much in the same way that you might find a job, each church interviews and offers the Pastor position to the person they feel is the best fit for the job. In turn the Pastor has the option of accepting or declining the position.
Pastor Rob periodically offers a class that gives much more information on the American Baptist Denomination. Contact us to ask about the next class or for more information.
