Beaver Baptist Church exists . . . By His Grace and for His Glory. God,out of His sheer grace and mercy,has demonstrated His love by rescuing us from sin and eternal death through the atoning sacrifice of His one and only Son,Jesus Christ. We are now alive together with Him (Heb 2:4-9), reconciled with God and with one another,and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. God created us, redeemed us,and united us in the Church for His glory. Indeed,all of creation,all of history is meant for the glory of God in Jesus Christ. Therefore,our ultimate goal at Beaver Baptist Church is that God would be glorified in all things.
Discipleship. To be a Christian is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Michael Wilkins writes:"A disciple of Jesus is a person who has been called by Jesus to eternal life,has claimed him as Savior and God,and has embarked upon the life of following Him. . . . Discipleship means living a fully human life in this world in union with Jesus Christ and his people,growing in conformity to His image,and helping others to know and become like Jesus."Christ has commissioned His church with the work of making disciples (Matt. 28:18-20). This is in order that we might be a display of God's grace toward us in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:7),and that the Lord Jesus would be glorified in us (2 Thess. 1:11-12). Therefore,the essence of Beaver Baptist Church is that we are a covenant community of disciples of Jesus Christ. And the purpose of this church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. We understand discipleship by the grace and for the glory of God to be experienced in three spheres of life and ministry:worship,edification,and mission.
Worship. Jesus Christ is the radiance of God's glory,the exact representation of His nature,and the One Who made purification of sins (Heb. 1:3). Therefore,worshiping Him is at the center of all we do,every time we gather. Exalting our Lord through worshipful music,sacrificial giving,and faithful preaching is our highest expression of thanks and love towards the One Who saves us. Worship of God should be both thoroughly biblical as well as deeply joyful;it must be God-centered,not man-centered. And worship of God is not confined to our worship services and personal “quiet times”;it is the daily presenting of ourselves “as a living sacrifice,holy and acceptable to God,which is your spiriutal worship”(Rom. 12:1).
Edification. This church meets together for the purpose of edification,that is,to build up one another and the church. The result is that as individuals we are being conformed to the image of Christ,and equipped for the work of ministry. And as a church we are growing into Christ as His body. Together,we strive to grow in faith,love,the knowledge of the truth,and holiness.
Mission. God has called every believer and every church for the purpose of carrying out His mission to the world. First and foremost we do this in the proclamation of the Gospel,which we strive to do in both word and deed. People who have been called away from the power and penalty of sin,and to serving Jesus Christ and His church,through the gifts and enabling power of the Holy Spirit,are the greatest testimony of God's work. And it is God's Word,energized by His Spirit,that accomplishes His work. The mission of Beaver Baptist Church is to bring glory to God by reaching our community with the gospel of grace and by making disciples of Jesus Christ.
