Our Beliefs
The Scriptures
We believe the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments to be the full record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind. Different men, while writing according to their own styles and personalities, were supernaturally moved along by the Holy Spirit to record God’s very words, inerrant in the original writings. Therefore, those applying themselves to study its literal, historical-grammatical context can accurately understand God’s Word. Scripture is fully trustworthy as our final and sufficient authority for all of life (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
The Triune God
We believe in the one living and true God, eternally (John 17:3) existing in perfect unity as three equally and fully divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). Each member of the Godhead, while executing distinct but complementary roles in redemptive history, has precisely the same nature, attributes, and being, and is equally worthy of the same glory and honor and obedience (John 1:1-4; Acts 5:3-4).
God the Father
We believe God the Father created all things in six literal days for His glory according to His own will (Revelation 4:11), through His Son, Jesus Christ. He upholds all things by the Word of His power and grace, exercising sovereign headship over all creation, providence, and redemption (Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:3).
God the Son
We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, moved by love in accordance with the will of the Father, took on human flesh (John 1:1, 14, 18). Conceived through the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the virgin Mary. He, being fully God and fully man (John 14:8-9), lived a sinless life and sacrificially shed His blood and died on the cross in our place accomplishing redemption for all who place their faith in Him. He arose visibly and bodily from the dead three days later and ascended into heaven, where, at the Father’s right hand, He is now Head of His Body the Church, the only Savior and Mediator between God and man, and will return to earth in power and glory to consummate His redemptive mission (1 Timothy 3:16).
God the Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ during this age. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He draws the unredeemed to repentance and faith, and at salvation imparts new spiritual life to the believer, bringing that person into union with Christ and the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit sanctifies, seals, fills, guides, instructs, comforts, equips, empowers, permanently indwells at salvation, and bestows spiritual gifts to the believer for Christ-like living and service (John 16:8; 13:15; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 1:22; 4:11-12; Romans 8:9-17; 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 12:4-5, 11-13, 19; Galatians 5:25; Hebrews 2:1-4; 2 Corinthians 12:12).
Mankind
We believe that God created mankind—male and female—in His own image and likeness, free of sin, to glorify Himself and enjoy His fellowship. Tempted by Satan, but in the sovereign plan of God, man freely chose to disobey God, bringing sin, death and condemnation to all mankind. All human beings, therefore, are totally depraved by nature and by choice. Alienated from God without defense or excuse, and subject to God’s righteous wrath, all of mankind is in desperate need of the Savior (Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 3:10-19; Romans 1:18, 32).
Salvation
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as the substitutionary atonement in our place, and that salvation is found in none other than Jesus Christ. Before Creation, God chose those who would be saved and granted this unearned grace solely based on His sovereign good pleasure. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was the sole and complete payment for sins, fully satisfying God’s righteous wrath, for each person that turns from sin in repentance and places their faith in Christ alone by grace alone. At salvation each person is made a new creation by the Holy Spirit, declared righteous before God, and secured as an adopted child of God forever. Genuine faith continues in obedience and love for Jesus Christ with a life eager to glorify God and persevere to the end (Romans 8:37-39; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 12:13).
The Church
We believe that upon placing one’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, the believer is made part of the Body of Christ, the one universal Church, of which Jesus Christ is the Head. The Scriptures command believers to gather locally in order to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, fellowship, the ordinances of baptism and communion, service to the local body through the development and use of talents and spiritual gifts, and outreach to the world to make disciples (Ephesians 1:22-23; Acts 2:42-46;
1 Corinthians 14:26; Matthew 28:18-20). Wherever God’s people meet regularly in obedience to this command, there is the local expression of the Church under the watchful care of a plurality of elders. A church’s members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ (Ephesians 4:16).
Baptism and Communion
We believe that Christian baptism is a public declaration of the believer’s salvation in Christ, identifying with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection symbolized by immersion in water. The Lord’s Supper is the united commemoration by believers of Christ’s death until He comes and should be preceded by a careful self-examination (Acts 2:41; Romans 6:3-6; 1 Corinthians 11:20-29).
Missions
We believe it is the aim, duty, and privilege of every believer and local church fellowship to glorify God by responding as active participants in the Great Commission call of Jesus Christ to go and make disciples of all nations. We believe the primary focus and priority of this call is centered on efforts that establish, strengthen, and reproduce disciples of Christ, through the power of His Holy Spirit.
Things to Come
We believe in and expectantly await the glorious, visible, personal, return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The blessed hope of His return has vital bearing on the personal life, service, and mission of the believer (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. The lost will be raised to judgment and experience eternal wrath in hell. The saved will be raised to eternal joy in the new heaven and new earth in the manifested presence of God (Acts 1:3, 9; Hebrews 7:25-26).
For more in depth information on what we believe, you can find it in The Baptist Faith and Message.
We believe the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments to be the full record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind. Different men, while writing according to their own styles and personalities, were supernaturally moved along by the Holy Spirit to record God’s very words, inerrant in the original writings. Therefore, those applying themselves to study its literal, historical-grammatical context can accurately understand God’s Word. Scripture is fully trustworthy as our final and sufficient authority for all of life (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
The Triune God
We believe in the one living and true God, eternally (John 17:3) existing in perfect unity as three equally and fully divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). Each member of the Godhead, while executing distinct but complementary roles in redemptive history, has precisely the same nature, attributes, and being, and is equally worthy of the same glory and honor and obedience (John 1:1-4; Acts 5:3-4).
God the Father
We believe God the Father created all things in six literal days for His glory according to His own will (Revelation 4:11), through His Son, Jesus Christ. He upholds all things by the Word of His power and grace, exercising sovereign headship over all creation, providence, and redemption (Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:3).
God the Son
We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, moved by love in accordance with the will of the Father, took on human flesh (John 1:1, 14, 18). Conceived through the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the virgin Mary. He, being fully God and fully man (John 14:8-9), lived a sinless life and sacrificially shed His blood and died on the cross in our place accomplishing redemption for all who place their faith in Him. He arose visibly and bodily from the dead three days later and ascended into heaven, where, at the Father’s right hand, He is now Head of His Body the Church, the only Savior and Mediator between God and man, and will return to earth in power and glory to consummate His redemptive mission (1 Timothy 3:16).
God the Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ during this age. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He draws the unredeemed to repentance and faith, and at salvation imparts new spiritual life to the believer, bringing that person into union with Christ and the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit sanctifies, seals, fills, guides, instructs, comforts, equips, empowers, permanently indwells at salvation, and bestows spiritual gifts to the believer for Christ-like living and service (John 16:8; 13:15; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 1:22; 4:11-12; Romans 8:9-17; 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 12:4-5, 11-13, 19; Galatians 5:25; Hebrews 2:1-4; 2 Corinthians 12:12).
Mankind
We believe that God created mankind—male and female—in His own image and likeness, free of sin, to glorify Himself and enjoy His fellowship. Tempted by Satan, but in the sovereign plan of God, man freely chose to disobey God, bringing sin, death and condemnation to all mankind. All human beings, therefore, are totally depraved by nature and by choice. Alienated from God without defense or excuse, and subject to God’s righteous wrath, all of mankind is in desperate need of the Savior (Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 3:10-19; Romans 1:18, 32).
Salvation
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as the substitutionary atonement in our place, and that salvation is found in none other than Jesus Christ. Before Creation, God chose those who would be saved and granted this unearned grace solely based on His sovereign good pleasure. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was the sole and complete payment for sins, fully satisfying God’s righteous wrath, for each person that turns from sin in repentance and places their faith in Christ alone by grace alone. At salvation each person is made a new creation by the Holy Spirit, declared righteous before God, and secured as an adopted child of God forever. Genuine faith continues in obedience and love for Jesus Christ with a life eager to glorify God and persevere to the end (Romans 8:37-39; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 12:13).
The Church
We believe that upon placing one’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, the believer is made part of the Body of Christ, the one universal Church, of which Jesus Christ is the Head. The Scriptures command believers to gather locally in order to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, fellowship, the ordinances of baptism and communion, service to the local body through the development and use of talents and spiritual gifts, and outreach to the world to make disciples (Ephesians 1:22-23; Acts 2:42-46;
1 Corinthians 14:26; Matthew 28:18-20). Wherever God’s people meet regularly in obedience to this command, there is the local expression of the Church under the watchful care of a plurality of elders. A church’s members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ (Ephesians 4:16).
Baptism and Communion
We believe that Christian baptism is a public declaration of the believer’s salvation in Christ, identifying with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection symbolized by immersion in water. The Lord’s Supper is the united commemoration by believers of Christ’s death until He comes and should be preceded by a careful self-examination (Acts 2:41; Romans 6:3-6; 1 Corinthians 11:20-29).
Missions
We believe it is the aim, duty, and privilege of every believer and local church fellowship to glorify God by responding as active participants in the Great Commission call of Jesus Christ to go and make disciples of all nations. We believe the primary focus and priority of this call is centered on efforts that establish, strengthen, and reproduce disciples of Christ, through the power of His Holy Spirit.
Things to Come
We believe in and expectantly await the glorious, visible, personal, return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The blessed hope of His return has vital bearing on the personal life, service, and mission of the believer (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. The lost will be raised to judgment and experience eternal wrath in hell. The saved will be raised to eternal joy in the new heaven and new earth in the manifested presence of God (Acts 1:3, 9; Hebrews 7:25-26).
For more in depth information on what we believe, you can find it in The Baptist Faith and Message.
How Do We Live Out Our Beliefs?
In essential beliefs: We hold firmly to truth
“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
(Colossians 2:6-7 – NLT)
In non-essential beliefs: We have liberty
“Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don't argue with them about what they think is right or wrong… Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval. Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let’s stop condemning each other.”
(Romans 14:1, 4, 12-13 – NLT)
In all our beliefs: We show love
“If I hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and if I have the faith that can move mountains but have no love, I amount to nothing at all.”
(1 Corinthians.13:2 – Phillips)
In essential beliefs: We hold firmly to truth
“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
(Colossians 2:6-7 – NLT)
In non-essential beliefs: We have liberty
“Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don't argue with them about what they think is right or wrong… Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval. Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let’s stop condemning each other.”
(Romans 14:1, 4, 12-13 – NLT)
In all our beliefs: We show love
“If I hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and if I have the faith that can move mountains but have no love, I amount to nothing at all.”
(1 Corinthians.13:2 – Phillips)
CORE VALUES (cultural distinctives)
Our beliefs shape the values we hold to as a church body. Below are listed our core values, also known as Cultural Distinctives, because these qualities – along with the amazing people and personalities that make up the church – create a unique and distinct culture at Fairfield Baptist. Since God’s Holy Spirit is present and at work within His church we believe these are values He is working in and through us. Or better said, this is WHO WE ARE BECOMING.
We are becoming…
…a church who hungers for God’s presence
Both in our own lives and in the life of the church, we desire most to be led by the Lord, and to seek His continual love and guidance.
…a church who remembers who she is
We are the redeemed people of God; our salvation has been purchased by the blood of Christ. Because of this fact, our life and mission is to share Christ with others, and build up believers in their faith walk. The church is unique in the world as we carry forward this purpose and vision.
…a church who lives heart first
We want to be a people known more for our passion and love for people than our programs. We want to live our lives as contagious Christians, with a large outflow of the fruit of the Spirit because of the incredible way the Savior has impacted our hearts!
…a church who practices gratefulness
We want to facilitate an attitude of thanks toward God. This manifests itself through worship and praise for Him, and obeying what He commands. We also want to foster a culture of thanksgiving for all the people who serve in Christ’s church (be thankful for one another).
…a church who promotes healthy relationships
Relationships are what is most important in life: our relationship with Christ and our relationships with each other. Jesus sums this up in the “Greatest Commandment”. The church should thus promote and be helpful in building up friendships, marriages, and parenting relationships throughout the church.
…a church who is always learning
We want to be a church that, as individuals and as a group, does not allow ourselves to become stagnant. We take full advantage of Christian resources and useful experiences to challenge us to grow further in knowledge, leadership, and skill.
…a church who promotes self-feeding
We want our church body to be Biblically literate. We want to encourage each individual in our church to be a regular Bible reader, to use tools (such as life journaling and other reader plans) to encourage people to know God’s word. We desire to be a people that filters everything we see and hear through the standard of God’s infallible and inerrant word.
…a church who connects everything to a soul
We want to be constantly reminded that everything we do, and whatever act of service we participate in, is because of the priceless value the Savior has put on each soul. Our evangelism effort reflects this great value; we should spend a great deal of resources reaching our community because of how far Christ went for the salvation of each soul.
…a church who chooses to love
The Savior was so often “moved with compassion”, and the Father sent the Son because He “loved the whole world”. We want to be a church that honestly and earnestly loves people. No task, no job, no program, should ever be regarded as a higher priority than loving the person God has put in front of us. The greatest act of love is to share Christ with someone, and then sacrificially build them up in the faith.
…a church who takes risks
We want to be a church that practices faith. A step of faith always demands a certain degree of risk. So many churches have closed their doors with the last words being uttered, “We’ve never done it that way before.” We want to be a church that boldly pursues our mission: willing to pay the costs, and take the chances needed to see God’s work moving forward through His church.
…a church who humbles itself
Christ is the head of His church. We want to bow before Him, and take our cues and next steps completely from Him. We want to be consistently cognizant of the fact that “apart from Him we can do nothing.” This should cause us to pause often in both spontaneous and strategic prayer.
…a church who has a plan
We know without vision the people perish. We need to prayerfully make plans, and anticipate that God will guide and direct us as we move on the vision He has laid on our hearts. To not plan is not Godly, rather it’s more possibly being lazy.
We are becoming…
…a church who hungers for God’s presence
Both in our own lives and in the life of the church, we desire most to be led by the Lord, and to seek His continual love and guidance.
…a church who remembers who she is
We are the redeemed people of God; our salvation has been purchased by the blood of Christ. Because of this fact, our life and mission is to share Christ with others, and build up believers in their faith walk. The church is unique in the world as we carry forward this purpose and vision.
…a church who lives heart first
We want to be a people known more for our passion and love for people than our programs. We want to live our lives as contagious Christians, with a large outflow of the fruit of the Spirit because of the incredible way the Savior has impacted our hearts!
…a church who practices gratefulness
We want to facilitate an attitude of thanks toward God. This manifests itself through worship and praise for Him, and obeying what He commands. We also want to foster a culture of thanksgiving for all the people who serve in Christ’s church (be thankful for one another).
…a church who promotes healthy relationships
Relationships are what is most important in life: our relationship with Christ and our relationships with each other. Jesus sums this up in the “Greatest Commandment”. The church should thus promote and be helpful in building up friendships, marriages, and parenting relationships throughout the church.
…a church who is always learning
We want to be a church that, as individuals and as a group, does not allow ourselves to become stagnant. We take full advantage of Christian resources and useful experiences to challenge us to grow further in knowledge, leadership, and skill.
…a church who promotes self-feeding
We want our church body to be Biblically literate. We want to encourage each individual in our church to be a regular Bible reader, to use tools (such as life journaling and other reader plans) to encourage people to know God’s word. We desire to be a people that filters everything we see and hear through the standard of God’s infallible and inerrant word.
…a church who connects everything to a soul
We want to be constantly reminded that everything we do, and whatever act of service we participate in, is because of the priceless value the Savior has put on each soul. Our evangelism effort reflects this great value; we should spend a great deal of resources reaching our community because of how far Christ went for the salvation of each soul.
…a church who chooses to love
The Savior was so often “moved with compassion”, and the Father sent the Son because He “loved the whole world”. We want to be a church that honestly and earnestly loves people. No task, no job, no program, should ever be regarded as a higher priority than loving the person God has put in front of us. The greatest act of love is to share Christ with someone, and then sacrificially build them up in the faith.
…a church who takes risks
We want to be a church that practices faith. A step of faith always demands a certain degree of risk. So many churches have closed their doors with the last words being uttered, “We’ve never done it that way before.” We want to be a church that boldly pursues our mission: willing to pay the costs, and take the chances needed to see God’s work moving forward through His church.
…a church who humbles itself
Christ is the head of His church. We want to bow before Him, and take our cues and next steps completely from Him. We want to be consistently cognizant of the fact that “apart from Him we can do nothing.” This should cause us to pause often in both spontaneous and strategic prayer.
…a church who has a plan
We know without vision the people perish. We need to prayerfully make plans, and anticipate that God will guide and direct us as we move on the vision He has laid on our hearts. To not plan is not Godly, rather it’s more possibly being lazy.
