Blockhouse Bay Baptist Church - Blockhouse Bay

What We Believe

As a church, we believe the following:

• The inspiration of the Bible and its authority in all matters of faith and practice.

• The fullness of deity and humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

• The atonement made on the Cross by our Lord for the sin of the world. The bodily resurrection of Christ, His ascension into heaven and His promised second coming to earth.

• Salvation, by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

• The indwelling presence and work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer and the church, empowering and imparting spiritual gifts.

• Membership of the church being for those who have received salvation.

This is a brief summary of our beliefs and much more could be said about each element. Holding to a concise statement of faith allows for the variety of people God draws into our fellowship and enables room for people and the church to grow and develop in their understanding of God without having to rewrite the constitution each time.  

It also reminds us that we may believe many things, but only a few are truly central. A good saying to live by when thinking about the variety of Christian beliefs is:

 “In the essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in everything, charity.” Martin Luther.

Beliefs and Being Baptist

The many different Christian traditions and church denominations can be a bit confusing.  As a church, we are in fellowship with other Christian groups and recognise that we have as much in common with them as differences. As a local church, we enjoy serving together with the churches of Blockhouse Bay (Anglican, Presbyterian, Community, and Catholic) for the benefit of our entire community.  Many in our church family come from various traditions and simply worship with us because they have made their home here. Many in our community find value in identifying as “Baptist” as this gives guidance in how we practice our faith. This is OK as long as we remember to be Christian first!

So what are some key features of being Baptist?

1. Freedom of Conscience

Historically, Baptist churches arose out of times of religious persecution by various states in Europe. Baptists have always advocated for a separation between religion and secular power so that people have freedom of conscience to worship God.

2. Believer’s Baptism

An obvious way that our emphasis on freedom of conscience is worked out is that we do not baptise infants; we believe baptism should be reserved for those who can choose it and is not given for those unable to choose. We also prefer to baptise by immersion in water, believing full immersion of a believer is a more accurate reading of Scripture regarding forms of baptism (the word baptism means “immersion). And that is why we have the name “Baptists.”

3. Autonomous Churches and Congregational Government

Baptist churches are not a true denomination because every baptist church is autonomous, which means it governs its own affairs. There is no hierarchy or other structure over the church to control it. Most baptist churches in NZ are part of the Baptist Union, which is a network that exists to support, resource and encourage Baptist churches. These autonomous churches are ultimately governed by Jesus, who works through the members of the congregation - followers of Jesus who have committed to being a part of the church and who support its ministry. These members meet during the year to entrust leadership with responsibilities of oversight, discern God’s will for the church’s future, and celebrate God’s work through the life of the church.

Baptists are also often known for a strong emphasis on Bible teaching and evangelism. These are excellent traits to have but are not distinctly Baptist traits as many other churches have them also.

To learn more about our Baptist family, follow the links below:

Baptist Union: https://www.baptist.org.nz/

Baptist Magazine: https://baptistmag.org.nz/

NZ Baptist Mission Society: https://www.nzbms.org.nz/

*Blockhouse Bay Baptist began over 100 years ago as the Green Bay Mission.  Its founders represented various denominations and agreed to work in unity. The mission at the time respected alternative views on baptism.  When the mission agreed to affiliate with the Baptist family, it agreed to hold an open view in regards to baptism. That means we encourage all to be baptised as believers by immersion but recognise baptism as practiced in other denominations.