Baptists are Christians who love Jesus and seek to follow him wholeheartedly and faithfully. There have been Baptist churches in the UK for over 400 years and they can be found in nearly every country of the world.
Baptists regard the church as a family, rather than a building - believers who together love God, love one another and love their neighbours. We meet together to worship God, grow in faith, support one another and serve our community.
Baptists view everyone in the church as equal - everyone matters and everyone has a valuable part to play. There is no hierarchy of status and decisions are made by the church members, rather than an outside authority, through praying and listening for the guidance of God’s Spirit. Each Baptist church appoints its own ministers and leaders to organise the church’s life and mission. However, churches are not independent, but belong to a wider Baptist family of churches, who work together and support one another.
Baptists believe faith is a personal response to God. For this reason they baptise adult believers who have made such a response, rather than babies. They see the Bible as central to their life, worship and mission, helping them to listen for God’s voice and learn how to live according to Jesus’ ways.
Baptists seek to live out God’s love by welcoming others, serving their neighbours and working for a more just, compassionate and peaceful world.