Elk River Baptist Church

​

Statement of Faith

1. The Word of God
   We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

2. The Trinity
   We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.

3. God the Father
   We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of all people, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

4. Jesus Christ
   We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth.

5. The Holy Spirit
   We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.

6. Regeneration
   We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

7. The Church
   We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.

8. Christian Conduct
   We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.

9. The Ordinances
   We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

10. Religious Liberty
    We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.

11. Church Cooperation
    We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether it is the Conference or a district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowships on a voluntary independent basis.

12. The Last Things
    We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked.

 

Adopted by the Baptist General Conference (Converge Worldwide)  in 1951, reaffirmed in 1990 and amended in 1997.

 

 

On Life & Marriage

We at Elk River Baptist Church believe that the Bible is the inspired, infallible Word of God, and is the primary means in which God reveals to us His Will (Matt. 5:18, John 17:17, 2 Tim 3:16, 2 Peter 3:16).  Christians, as professing believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we seek to align our lives and worldview to God’s over the influences of the world and contemporary culture (John 14:15, 23-24, Acts 5:29).

​

Therefore, according to the clear teachings of Scripture, we believe in the following:

​

1.  Sanctity of Life:    God has designed and created humankind after His Own image, in the distinctly different yet equal forms of male and female (Gen 1:26-27, 5:1-2, Matt 19:4), and gave them dominion over all other forms of life (Gen 1:28-30, 9:1-3).  God, as the Author of Life, gives humanity its worth from conception to death (Gen 9:5-6, Job 1:21, Psa 22:9-10, 139:13-16, John 5:21).

2. Sanctity of Marriage:  God has designed marriage to be an exclusive, faithful covenant relationship between one man and one woman for as long as they both live (Gen 2:24, Matt 19:4-6).  The institution of marriage is to be honored (Hebrews 13:4), and followers of Christ must strive to please God on his ideals, seeking a holy and pure life in this regard (Acts 24:16, 1 Thess 3:13-4:7).

 

 

Elk River Baptist Church Covenant:  (Article IV)

 

"Having been led, by the Holy Spirit of God, to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and to confess Him as Lord, and on confession of this faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, and in the presence of God and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully covenant (or pledge) with one another, as one body in Christ, to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him.

 

We promise, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to forsake the ways of sin and to walk together in Christian love and in the paths of righteousness. With this in view we engage to strive together for both the peace and purity of this church; to sustain its worship steadfastly to cherish and hold its ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to contribute, as faithful stewards, such time, talent and money, in the measure that God prospers each of us, that the responsibility for the work of the local church and the world wide ministry of spreading the gospel be faithfully and effectively discharged.

 

We also covenant to maintain family and private devotions; to teach the Bible to our children; to seek the salvation of our loved ones, relatives, and acquaintances. We likewise covenant to be examples that honor Christ in our conduct; to avoid unkind words and unrighteous anger; to be careful to guard against activities which would harm our Christian witness and to be examples that honor Christ in our conduct; to abstain from the use and sale of substances that are harmful to our bodies and minds, which are temples of the Holy Spirit, and to abstain from every form of evil; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of Scripture, to seek it without delay, to give and receive admonition with meekness and affection.

 

We further covenant to be just in our dealings and faithful in our engagements; to combine zeal and knowledge in our efforts to advance the cause of our Savior; to pray for each other; to aid each other in case of sickness and distress; to exercise Christian compassion in feeling and courtesy in speech; to encourage one another in the blessed hope of our Lord's return. Moreover, we covenant that when we move from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some local church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of the Word of God."

​