We are an evangelical church. We believe the Bible to be God's inspired word for us. We look to the Bible to discover the mind of God and therefore our life values. We believe in the rinity - The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We teach birth deathand resurrection of Jesus, and our salvation by faith through God's grace.

to view the BBC Value Statement please click here

How is the Church organised?

Bathurst Baptist church is a group of multi generational and multicultural people who have  made a personal commitment to Jesus.

We believe that The Holy Spirit is working within each Christian equipping, directing and encouraging. Each church member therefore has the ability and responsibility to listen for God's direction for themselves and the church.

Like all  Baptist churches Bathurst Baltist is organised with the following points in mind:

Who runs the Church?

At Bathurst Baptist we recognise that certain individuals are personally gifted to provide leadership in the church. The church itself will recognise an individual as having the right gifts and abilities for leadership. The church then allows the individual to use his or her gifts to lead the group.

So while the church members themselves over see the affairs of the church, they empower certain types of leadership. The leadership team is made up of Pastors Elders and deacons. Pastors and Elders are responsible for the overall direction and Biblical teaching in the Church as well as the spiritual direction and welfare of church members. Deacons usually deal with matters of administration as well as some pastoral issues.

Leadership is not a right to authority or personal power, but rather an individual using his or her skills for the good of the Church. Leaders are elected by and accountable to the Church itself.

Do you celebrate communion?

Yes, we do. Jesus gave his disciples a way of remembering Him, by sharing together bread and wine. It reminds us today of the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. Baptists encourage all Christians present at their communion services to share in the Lord's Supper, no matter what their church background might be.

It is usually celebrated once or twice a month and we use small pieces of bread and grape juice to follow Jesus' example. Usually stewards serve the members of the congregation in their seats.

The world we live in

While we are only passing through this world, God calls us to be concerned for it. This means we are deeply concerned about such issues as poverty, justice, freedom, equality and the environment. We understand that the Bible does not draw distinction between people's spiritual and physical wellbeing, and we are committed to caring for both.

How can I become a Baptist Church member?

We are more than glad to welcome all visitors and guests at our services. But if you would like to engage fully in the life of a local Baptist Church, we invite you to apply for church membership. Membership is open to all who have freely committed themselves as Christians and expressed this in baptism. Each church has the right to decide who is able to become a member. All church members have equal rights and personal liberty.

Are you a large group of churches?

Today there are about 72,000 people  in hundreds of Baptist Churches in every state of Australia. Each local church is autonomous (self-governed) but we voluntarily link together with other churches to form a Baptist Union in each state, who together form the Baptist Union of Australia. The first Baptists came into being in Europe as part of the Reformation which swept that continent. Baptists came to Australia in 1831 and today we have fraternal links through the Baptist World Alliance with more than 41 million in our worldwide Christian family which now numbers 1.3 billion.