What is a Baptist Church?
Baptists have been around in England since
1611. The Baptist Missionary Society was founded in 1792; shortly afterwards the
Baptist Union was formed.
The first Baptist Church in Rotherham was
founded in 1789 - making us the oldest continuous Baptist fellowship in South Yorkshire. To
read more about our history, click here. The Rotherham Baptist Church is part of
the Baptist Union of Great Britain and we work with other Baptist Churches
within the South Yorkshire Fellowship of Baptist Churches, and as part of the
Yorkshire Baptist Association.
One of the things that is important to us is
our practice of ‘believer’s baptism by immersion’. We do not baptise or
'christen' infants. We wait until people are old enough to make their own
decisions to follow Jesus, and then urge them to confess their faith by being
baptised. Going under the water symbolises death and burial; coming up
symbolises resurrection to new life. That’s why we baptise by totally
immersing the candidate in water.
We do not have a church hierarchy, but we do
have a structure within the Church. We have a Minister who is appointed and
employed by the Church; Deacons - who are elected every three years; and Church
Members - those who have made a formal commitment to the Church.
Although Baptist churches work together, each
church is independent and is responsible for managing its own affairs - and that
includes its finances!
Every church needs to be guided by God in the
direction it takes and the decisions it makes. We believe that this can be done
best by involving the whole church. In our Church Meetings, church members come
together to wait on God and to discern his will for us.
Joining the Church
As
Christians we have been brought into a relationship with Christ and that also
brings into a relationship with other believers. The Church is the Body of
Christ: each member has a part to play and no-one can manage alone. We need each
other! We come from different backgrounds, each with our
own unique experiences - but we are united by our faith in Christ.
Our
commitment to each other and to the life of the Church is expressed through
Church Membership. The responsibilities of being a Church Member include:
a
willingness to love, serve and work with others in the fellowship and to reach
out in Christ’s name to those around;
regular
attendance at Sunday worship, and at mid-week meetings for prayer and for
Bible Study;
regular
attendance at the Lord’s Supper - twice a month, once in the morning and
once at night, we share bread and wine and remember Christ’s sacrifice for
us;
regular
attendance at Church Meetings - we urge all Members to be part of discovering
God’s way for the Church;
realistic
giving to the work of the Church - we rely on the tithes and offerings of
those who attend the Church to pay the Minister, maintain the building, and
provide money to support other work.
We
believe, too, that baptism (as a believer, by immersion) and Church Membership
go together and we encourage those who have not been baptised as believers to
consider this important step.
