Statement Of Faith:

First Baptist Church of Lenoir has been established and guided by a central commitment to our mission of being a Great Commission Church in accordance with Matthew 28:19-20.  Our mission is to make disciples, train disciples, send disciples and care for disciples.  Our commitment to the mission of being a Great Commission Church is nurtured and guided by three distinctive, traditional Baptist principles of faith and by two ordinances.  The three principles of faith and the two ordinances are as follows:

1.The Authority Of The Bible In Matters Of Faith And Practice:  As Baptists, we are committed to the authority and the truth of the Bible as the source of doctrine, ethics, spirituality and guidance for the individual and the community of faith.  The Bible reveals the principles and truths through which God loves us, judges us and redeems us.

The Bible is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and religious opinions should be tried.  The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.  Baptists acknowledge the role of the individual conscience in shaping the individual's response to faith, convictions and actions.

2.The Priesthood Of The Believer.  All Baptist believers are called to minister and serve through the power of the Holy Spirit.  For Baptists, there is no mediator but Christ himself.  Each new believer is a minister, called to carry out Christ's gospel in the world.  Baptists also set aside and ordain people for specific ministerial functions.

3. The Autonomy Of The Local Church.  Baptists place great emphasis on the autonomy of each local congregation operating under the Lordship of Jesus Christ through democratic processes.  For Baptists, a New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel.  The authority of Christ is mediated through the local church community which is bound together by a covenant with God and with one another.

4.The Ordinance Of Baptism And The Ordinance Of The Lord's Supper.  Baptists are committed to the observance of these two ordinances.  They are the "Enacted Word."  These ordinances are the embodiment of the Truth and Salvation of the gospel being acted out in corporate worship by the individual believer and the worshiping community.  These two ordinances establish a link between the local congregation and the Early Christian Church.  Neither ordinance is administered to infants, but only to those who claim an experience of grace.  Both ordinances follow a profession of faith on the part of the believer.

a. BAPTISM.  Baptism is by immersion which involves the dipping of the whole body into the water as a sign of new life, cleansing, burial with Christ and resurrection with Christ.  It is an act of obedience to the command of Christ, fulfilled by individuals who have received His forgiveness and submitted themselves to His leadership.

b. THE LORD'S SUPPER.  The Lord's Supper involves the basic reenactment of Jesus' last meal shared with his disciples before his death.  The Lord's Supper is a worship service of remembrance in which the worshiping believers reflect on Christ's death and resurrection, with the bread and cup representing or symbolizing his body and blood.  Christ's presence, therefore, is not in the elements, but in the faith present in the hearts of the believing community gathered at the table.