Who We Are
The purpose of Grace Baptist Church is to glorify God by obediently making and equipping disciples of Christ, in Selkirk, Manitoba and throughout the world, by the power of the Spirit.
What follows is not a list of preferences. These are 21 convictions we believe Scripture requires of a local church — and they explain nearly everything about how a Sunday here feels.
The glory of God is everything. The centerpiece of the universe for time and eternity is for God to be seen and praised for His matchless perfections. Every individual Christian and every local church family must have a continual, intentional, and passionate focus on the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31; Ephesians 3:21
We believe in the triune God: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God is most glorified through the Person and work of His Son. As His church, we strive above all things to know Him, love Him, praise Him, and serve Him. “In all things He must have the pre-eminence.”
Colossians 1:18
Meaningful and enduring fellowship in a local congregation is absolutely essential to the Christian's life and ministry. Media ministries can never take the place of the local church and its ministers. We are committed not only to congregate, but to do so for the purpose of encouraging one another and stimulating one another to love and good deeds.
Hebrews 10:24-25
It is our desire to be thoroughly biblical in the totality of our lives. Our purpose, our methods, and our goals must come from sound, biblical teaching. We reject the modern concept that biblical goals can be achieved by man-centered, man-empowered methods. Our theology must dictate our methodology.
2 Timothy 3:16
The hub of the wheel of God's church is the preaching of the Word of God in the power of the Spirit. The biblical text is preached in its historical and grammatical context, giving application for today's world. The pulpit is indispensable to the church's growth in knowledge, holiness, and love. It cannot and should not be replaced or diminished.
2 Timothy 3:16 – 4:2
The worship team strives to lead the church family to glorify God and to edify one another through singing and musical instruments, ministering with spiritual passion and doctrinal integrity. We are sovereign grace in doctrine, Baptist in governance, and affectionate in worship.
Salvation requires hearing the Gospel accompanied by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. This work, called regeneration, produces repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The truly saved person perseveres in faithfulness, and this perseverance is the basis of assurance.
John 3:1-8; Ephesians 2:5; Acts 20:20-21; Philippians 1:6
It is the duty of every believer to evangelize the lost. We stand against cold, unevangelistic hyper-Calvinism on the one hand and “hoop-jumping” easy believism on the other. We are committed to preach the Gospel to every creature and to implore all men to repent from sin and believe.
Romans 3:23; Matthew 28:19-20
A New Testament church is an autonomous, self-governing local congregation of baptized believers. The final word in matters pertaining to the congregation must come from the congregation itself, committed to the Lordship of Christ under the full authority of Scripture.
Matthew 18:15-17; Acts 6:2-5; 2 Timothy 3:16-17
The church has a body of elders/pastors who teach and shepherd the flock. They keep watch over the congregation as men who must give an account to God, and they exercise authority over the church only to the degree that is given in the Scriptures.
Hebrews 13:17; 1 Timothy 3:1-7
The life of every Christian is to be marked by a heart of servanthood. The New Testament also speaks of the specific office of deacon, whose tasks are primarily meeting the physical and material needs of individual believers and the congregation as a whole.
Mark 9:35; 1 Timothy 3:8-13
Every Christian in the local congregation without exception has been given spiritual gifts, which they are commanded to employ for the edification of the entire congregation. The administration of such gifts by every member is necessary for the proper growth and ministry of the church.
Romans 12:3-8
One of the greatest outlets for every-member ministry is our Small Group ministry. Such fellowships are employed to evangelize the lost, equip the saved, and minister to the individual needs in the body. Christianity is not a spectator sport.
The primary means employed to disciple believers are expository preaching, Small Group interaction, accountability, personal one-on-one discipleship, and motivating believers to grow in the study and application of the Word of God.
Matthew 5:1-48
Church discipline is a foundational doctrine in Baptist history that is now almost non-existent among contemporary Baptists. When practiced biblically and compassionately, it is a powerful tool to restore the fallen and to preserve Christ's honor in the church and the unbelieving world.
Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Galatians 6:1-2
Parents are primarily responsible for the discipleship and discipline of their children. The church should not usurp the authority of godly parents, nor assume the responsibilities of parents who are lax in their duties. Ministry activities focused on children are an extension of the parents' roles, never a replacement.
Our youth ministry is centered on God's will for young people as revealed in His Word, and is an extension of our Small Groups ministry. Our goal is to strengthen parents in their God-called responsibility to bring up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:4
The College and Career Ministry provides godly fellowship for the young college and career people of our church. The emphasis is to challenge and encourage the spiritual vibrancy and growth of each individual young adult.
Although the Scriptures do not address courtship in every aspect, they give us countless sound principles by which our young men and women may guide their relationships with the opposite sex and discover God's will for marriage.
Christians are children of grace, and that grace should be expressed in their financial stewardship. Joyous giving reflects the God of grace who has saved us. We do not tithe under the Law, but we tithe under love.
1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Ephesians 3:21
The Great Commission is a great command. Personal involvement in world missions is demanded of every true believer. We are either called to go down into the well or to hold the rope for those who are going down. Either way, our dedication must be costly and enduring.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
2 Timothy 3:16