Baptists and Baptist churches are found in almost every country in the world. As part of the
world-wide Christian church, Baptists form one of the largest families of faith.
Baptists have been around for over 350 years, Olney Baptist Church being one of
the oldest.
For Baptists the concept of a family is important. The church is not place or a building but a
family of believers, committed to Christ, to one another and to the service of
God in the world.
In this family everyone is equal and all have a part to play. There is no hierarchy of bishops
or priests. Equality of status, however, does not mean that all have the same
role. Each local Baptist church appoints its own minister to have responsibility
for preaching, teaching and pastoral care. Working alongside the minister are
deacons and elders, who together form the leadership team of the local church.
But each local church is governed by its members through the Church Meeting,
held several times a year. The local church is self-governing and
self-supporting.
Believer's baptism, usually by full immersion, is the natural expression of our faith in Christ and
our commitment to the local church. Unlike infant baptism, practised in other
churches, Believer's Baptism is for those with a personal faith in Christ and
who are old enough to know what they are doing.
Baptists have a strong commitment to sharing their faith with others and to working for justice in a
needy world.
Baptist churches in Britain have no set creed, but adhere to the following principles:
- Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, is the sole and absolute
authority in matters pertaining to faith and practice, as revealed in the Holy
Scriptures; and that each church has liberty, under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, to interpret and administer Christ's laws.
- Christian baptism is the immersion in water into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit, of those who have professed repentance towards God and faith in our Lord
Jesus Christ who 'died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and rose again
the third day'.
- It is the duty of every disciple to bear personal witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to
take part in the evangelisation of the world.