Doctrine
Name
The name of this church shall be the First Baptist Church of Spencer, West Virginia.
P
urposeThe purpose of this congregation is to give visible form to that faith and fellowship to which God has called his people. We acknowledge ourselves to be a local manifestation of the universal church in and through which Jesus Christ continues to minister to the world by His Holy Spirit. We shall seek to fulfill this calling through corporate worship services, through a program of Christian nurture by which our membership may be built up in their faith and love, through proclamation of the gospel by word and deed, and through ministering to human need in the name of Christ.
Polity
Recognizing Jesus Christ as the only head of the church, this congregation shall seek to ascertain and to obey the will of our Lord in all matters of faith and practice. Authority to reach decisions for governing the affairs of this church being given to us by Christ, we hold that such authority and responsibility is vested in the active membership of the congregation.
Affiliations
In carrying out the wider ministry for which Christ has made His church responsible, we shall adhere to and be a member of the Good Hope Association, the West Virginia Baptist Convention, and the American Baptist Convention. This church shall not resign or withdraw from any of these bodies except by a duly adopted amendment to the constitution of this church. No such action to amend the constitution shall take place until a consultation has been held by the boards of trustees and deacons of this church with the moderator of the association and the president (or executive secretary) of the state convention.
This church shall also be in co-operation with the larger Christian fellowship through the local and other councils of churches.
Membership
The congregation shall consist of persons meeting the requirements set forth in the by-laws, a body of professing and baptized believers in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, covenanting together to fulfill the purpose of Christ for His Church. Such covenant as the church may Wish to be drawn up, adopted, and revised from time to time as an expression of our understanding of the Scriptures, our sole authority for faith and practice.
Doctrine
This church accepts the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired record of God's revelatory actions in human history and as the authoritative basis for its doctrine and practice. The confession of faith (also known as the church covenant) drawn up and adopted by this church is regarded as an expression of the essential doctrines of grace as set forth in the Scriptures. This document shall be subject to revision by the congregation as new insights from the Word of God shall indicate ways in which our faith and life may be brought into closer accord with the teachings of Scriptures.