People who attend our church come from all different experiences and backgrounds. Some come from Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and other churches. Others come with no church or religious background at all. Suddenly, they find themselves at a Baptist church. What does that mean? Many have identified the Baptist church by its common stereotypes, but we can assure you that the Second family is not your stereotypical church. We
are unique. We believe church should be fun and exciting, yet without compromising the truth of God’s Word, the Bible. We are a Christian, evangelical church—a church whose primary purpose is to share the good news of Jesus Christ. We are also a Baptist church. Listed below you will find a summary of the essential beliefs that all Christians share and the Baptist beliefs that make us distinct from other denominations.
God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ. If you have made a genuine commitment of faith in Jesus, you cannot lose your salvation. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. God’s grace and power enable us to persevere in faith until the end.
John 10:29 | Ephesians 2:1-10 | 1 Peter 1:3-5 | Hebrews 7:25; 10:10, 14 | 2 Timothy 1:12
We believe in the local autonomy of the church. Each church has the right to manage its affairs with no central authority except that of Christ Himself. Freedom does not rule out cooperation. We are a cooperating church with the Southern Baptist Convention. This means that we cooperate with other Baptist churches in pooling and sharing money for the support of missionaries and ministries at home and around the world. This plan is called the Cooperative Program.
Acts 15
Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to earth to save us from our sins.
[Matthew 1:21; Luke 19:10; John 3:16]
He lived a sinless life, even though He was tempted in every way, and willingly offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men and women by dying on a cross.
[Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 4:14-15]
He demonstrated His power over sin and death by rising from the dead after three days.
[1 Corinthians 15:3-4]
Shortly after His resurrection, Jesus ascended into Heaven and promised to return.
[Acts 1:9-11; 1Thessalonians 4:13-18]
Salvation can come only through Jesus Christ.
[Acts 4:12; Colossians 1:15-23]
Humans are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. As the supreme object of God’s creation, we were designed for dignity. However, Adam’s sin catapulted the creation into a fallen state and plunged all his descendants into depravity. Thus, all of us are marred by rebellion and disobedience, which is called “sin,” toward God. Sin separates people from God and causes many problems in life.
Genesis 1:27 | Psalm 8:3-6 | Romans 3:23 | Isaiah 53:6a; 59:1-2
Baptism is the public demonstration by an individual acknowledging that they have been saved by grace through their faith in Jesus. This is depicted by being dunked underwater symbolizing the death, burial and resurrection in Jesus.
[Romans 4:9-12, Romans 6:3-4]
Each person is able to come to God for himself or herself. There is no need for a third party to tell a person how to pray, how to interpret Scriptures or how to vote in church. All believers are ministers of God. Therefore, the evangelical church does not have a distinctive class of priests. All members are made “priests unto God” by the death of Christ. There is only one mediator between God and man, and that is Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:5-6 | Ephesians 4:11-12 | 1 Timothy 2:5 | Romans 12:1 | 1 Peter 2:5