SUMMARY OF OUR BELIEFS

Purpose: To glorify God

Mission: Making Christ-followers of all peoples

Vision: Building redemptive communities of all peoples who communicate the truth of Christ to the world

The following outlines the basics of Southgate Baptist Church's beliefs. If you’d like to read a full explanation of our beliefs, including supporting scripture references, please review our Statement of Faith, or click below to read Southgate's church constitution!

THE WORD OF GOD

We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original writings, complete as the revelation of God’s will for salvation, and the supreme and final authority in all matters to which they speak.

THE TRINITY

We believe in one God, Creator and Sustainer of all things, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that they are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct and harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.

GOD THE FATHER

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. He concerns himself mercifully in the affairs of men and women, hears and answers prayer, and saves from sin and death all who come to him through Jesus Christ.

JESUS CHRIST

We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son, and has precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He is not only true God, but true Man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. We believe in his sinless life, his substitutionary atonement, his bodily resurrection from the dead, his ascension into heaven, his priestly intercession on behalf of his people, and his personal, visible, premillennial return from heaven.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the Holy Spirit, his personality and his work in regeneration, sanctification, and preservation. His ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and implement Christ’s work of redeeming the lost and empowering the believer for godly living and service.

HUMANITY

We believe God created humanity, male and female, in the image of God and free from sin. We further believe all persons are sinners by nature and choice and are, therefore, spiritually dead. We also believe that the Holy Spirit regenerates those who repent of sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior.

SALVATION

We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This salvation is based upon the sovereign grace of God, and was purchased by Christ on the cross, and is received through faith apart from any human merit, works, or ritual. We believe salvation results in righteous living, good works, and proper social concern.

THE CHURCH

We believe that the church is the spiritual body of which Christ is the head and is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. This body expresses itself in local assemblies whose members have been immersed upon a credible confession of faith and have associated themselves for worship, instruction, evangelism, and service. The ordinances of the local church are believers’ baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper. We also believe in the interdependence of local churches and the mutual submission of Christians to each other in love.

LAST THINGS

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the saved and lost, the eternal existence of all people in either heaven or hell, in divine judgments, rewards, and punishments.

CHURCH GOVERNMENT

Southgate Baptist Church is an independent autonomous church subject only to Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church.

The church follows the biblical pattern of governance that is vested in the pastor-elder team leading the church, deacons serving the church, and the congregation building the church.

Godly men are nominated, vetted, and affirmed as pastor-elders, some who serve vocationally as paid staff and others who serve voluntarily as lay pastors.

Godly men are nominated, vetted, and affirmed as deacons, who serve and help meet the needs of the body of Christ at Southgate.

You may meet our our pastor-elders and deacons and learn about their leadership.