Baptist churches are found in almost every part of the world and form one of the largest Christian denominations world wide.
Each Baptist church is not so much a building or a place but a community of people from all walks of life agreeing together to live and work in friendship, whole heartedly following Jesus Christ in the modern world. This means that each Baptist church is responsible for its own faith and order; all members are equal and all have a vital part to play in the service of God in the church. There is no central organization, bishop or archbishop and no one set of rules for every Baptist church. The people locally decide on their own local priorities as Christians. Therefore Park Road is independently run and financed and appoints its own minister and deacons who administer the fellowship. Nevertheless all Baptists believe in cooperation with other Christians and at Park Road we are members of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and its local expression - the Central Baptist Association. We enthusiastically support our local ecumenical body, the Rushden Council of Churches and are committed supporters of Christian Aid, Spurgeon’s Childcare, Tearfund and the Evangelical Alliance.
Our Mission Statement
'To make Disciples of Jesus Christ who are Growing in faith and love, worshipping God, and sharing God's love inside and outside the church'
We warmly invite you to explore with us how belonging to our Baptist fellowship could help you to grow in faith and commitment to Christ and develop gifts and skills which will make a positive impact on our town. Come and see - join us in worship one Sunday soon.'To make Disciples of Jesus Christ who are Growing in faith and love, worshipping God, and sharing God\'s love inside and outside the church'
What is a Baptist?
Baptists are orthodox Christians holding to three fundamental principles of their faith which tends to make them a little different from Anglicans or Methodists. The first is believers baptism. Baptists have always thought that a person should be baptised only when they truly believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and Lord. Therefore Baptists give thanks for the gift of children, ask the parents and godparents to dedicate themselves to God for bringing up their children but do not claim that this kind of ceremony actually makes the infants Christians. Only an individual person, through personal faith in Christ becomes a Christian. Each one makes up their own mind. No one can answer on behalf of anyone else.
What is the second difference?
Baptists also believe that each local group of Christians belonging to a church group has the freedom under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to decide as a group how the Bible should be interpreted and how the church should be organized. There is no hierarchy to give instructions and no organizational structure to obey. For this reason Baptists do not formally adopt Creeds in their constitutions and do not have Synods making decisions which are binding on the local churches.
Doesn't this make for a chaotic free-for-all of belief?
Not in practice! Most Baptist Churches belong (voluntarily) to an area Association and to the national Union of Churches and the free expression of opinion between the Union, Associations and Churches is enough to moderate extremes and provide sufficient safeguards to faith and order. There are some standard principles with which ordained Baptist Ministers must be in agreement.
What was the third difference?
Because Baptist churches were intensely persecuted in the 16th and 17th centuries they always hold to the principle of freedom of conscience in worship and doctrine. Therefore each church member is to be permitted freedom in their beliefs and in their practice although each should pay attention to the beliefs of others in their particular church and respond in a Christlike way to them.
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