- Our Church Covenant
- What We Believe
- Basis of Union
- How Can I Be Saved?
- Baptism and Membership
- A Daily Devotion
Having been led by the Spirit to profess our faith in Jesus Christ, and having been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we solemnly and joyfully affirm our covenant with God and with each other.
We pledge to serve Christ in fellowship of Springhill United Baptist Church , while striving to love one another, pray for one another, and share with one another in joy and in hardship.
We are in agreement with the Mission Statement of the Church:
“To glorify God as we draw others to Christ,
and His family, and to help one another grow
in obedience and service to Him.”
We will seek to be responsible church members, faithful in attendance, in personal spiritual growth, in ministry and in giving.
We will seek to be obedient to Christ in our daily living, and will strive in our homes, at work, and in all of our activities, to maintain attitudes and actions which will reflect God’s Spirit working through us -with God’s help, avoiding experiences and habits that dishonor Christ and hinder the witness of the church, and embracing experiences and habits that are honoring and helpful.
We will pray for, and work toward a spirit of unity among all who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
We will dedicate ourselves, both individually and as a church, to bring justice, freedom, dignity, and peace to all people, and to be ministers of God’s reconciling love.
We will support the spreading of the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout the world in partnership with the Convention of Atlantic Baptists and Canadian Baptist Ministries.
Acknowledging our human frailties and ever seeking forgiveness, we profess our need of the Holy Spirit, and commit our lives to Jesus Christ, and through Him to the care, the judgement, the deliverance, and the mercy of Almighty God. Amen.
The Original Springhill Baptist Church pre-fire.
The Original Springhill Baptist Church pre-fire.
Shared Faith.
Baptists share many beliefs in common with other Christians including belief in one God, the human and divine nature of Jesus Christ, and the significance of his crucifixion and resurrection for salvation. With other Christian churches, they know that hope for the individual, the nation, and the world is found in Jesus Christ and in a personal relationship with Him.
Baptists emerged historically out of a desire to follow New Testament teaching as they understood it. The following beliefs have come to be known as Baptist Distinctives:
The Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Baptists believe that Jesus is Lord of both the church and the individual. We believe that it is only through Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death, burial and resurrection that a person can know salvation or eternal life with God in heaven – there aren’t many paths to God, only one. But belief in God means that what a Christian says is also evident in his/her action- every area in the believer’s life and the life of the church is to be subject to the Lord. God is the supreme authority.
The Authority of the Scriptures.
Baptists believe the scriptures are inspired by God. They are the only perfect, supreme, infallible and sufficient standard of faith and practice.
The Priesthood of the Believer.
Baptists hold that ALL believers share as equals in the church, and, in turn, have a priestly role toward each other. Every member is called to be a minister. Differences in education, wealth, gender and so on do not disqualify a person from service or from serving God through ministry to others.
Inherent in the worth of each person is also the ability of the soul to have direct access to God through Jesus Christ. Baptists believe that no group has the right to force others to believe or worship as it does. God has given all people freedom of choice and as such Baptists have championed the cause of religious liberty.
Regenerate Church Membership.
To become a Christian requires a personal acknowledgement of Jesus Christ as both Saviour and Lord. You cannot say Christ has saved you from judgment unless you also allow him to control your life as Lord. This act of faith and believer’s baptism must precede membership in the local church.
Baptism.
Baptists practice believer’s baptism by immersion. It is one of the first significant acts through which the believer proclaims personal faith in Christ and is initiated into church life and ministry.
Local Church Autonomy.
Baptists believe government in a local church is controlled by the principles of the priesthood of believers, the Lordship of Christ, the authority of the Scriptures, and the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ, present in the lives of congregational members, leads them corporately to discover and obey his mind and will. As a result, it is important that each church verify each potential member’s statement of faith to make sure that their claim is valid. Each church is competent under Christ to look after its own affairs and has freedom from coercion by other bodies. From their beginning, however, Baptists have consistently recognized the importance of cooperation with churches of “like faith and order.”
The Separation of Church and State.
Baptists have championed the right to freedom in spiritual matters under the lordship of Jesus Christ. They believe there must exist a separation between the church and civil governments. There should not be a church-controlled state, or a state-controlled church. God has given legitimate roles to both, but neither is to encroach upon the rights or obligations of the other. They are, however, under obligation to recognize and reinforce each other as each seeks to fulfill its divine function.
Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches
1655 Manawagonish Road,
Saint John, NB E2M 3Y2
Phone: 506-635-1922 Fax: 506-635-0366
cabc@baptist-atlantic.ca
www.baptist-atlantic.ca
Principles Upon Which The United Baptist Convention
(Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches) Was Formed
Formation
The United Baptist Convention was formed in
1905-06 with the union of the Regular Baptists
and the Free Baptists. Sharing many of the same
concerns, the two bodies were brought together
by their common interests.
The basis of union was a statement of agreed
doctrine and church polity. Each church within
the two bodies voted on the statement. All
supported it with the exception of six churches,
and none of the six voted negatively.
Thus the United Baptist Convention was brought
into being upon an agreed statement of faith,
which was approved by the churches
themselves. Today, it remains the basis upon
which we work together.
Doctrinal Statement
The Scriptures — The Holy Scriptures of the
Old and New Testaments have their authority
from God alone, and are given to us by divine
inspiration. They are the only perfect, supreme,
infallible and sufficient standard of faith and
practice.
God — There is one true and living God; He is
an infinite Spirit; self-existent, omnipresent,
omniscient, omnipotent, good, wise, just and
merciful. He is the creator, preserver, and
sovereign of the universe; He is inexpressively
glorious in holiness, and worthy of all honour,
confidence and love. In the Godhead there are
three persons in one: the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit, who are equal in every divine perfection,
and who execute distinct but harmonious offices in
the great work of redemption.
Jesus Christ — Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is
the person of the trinity who, by virtue of His
sacrificial work, is the world’s redeemer and the
savior of all who believe. He is at present the
intercessor of all His people at the right hand of
the Father, and is to be the judge of all men.
The Holy Spirit — The Holy Spirit is the third
person of the trinity, by whom all saving, comforting
and sanctifying power is exerted upon human hearts.
State and Fall of Man — Man was created sinless.
By his own disobedience he fell into sin.
Through his fall into sin, an evil nature was
transmitted to the whole race, revealing itself in
actual transgression, and bringing all under the
reign of condemnation and death.
Atonement — The perfect life, vicarious death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ, have removed
the obstacles in the way of the Holy Spirit’s
regenerating power and of the Father’s forgiving
grace being extended to the sinner, and
constitute for every believing soul an all
prevailing plea and sufficient ground for
righteousness before God.
Regeneration — In regeneration a new life
principle is begotten in the soul of man by the
Holy Spirit through the word of truth, producing
a disposition to joyful obedience to Christ and to
holy conduct in life.
Repentance — In repentance the sinner, having
seen his sin, being moved by the energy of the
Holy Spirit, is led to grieve for and hate it as an
offence against God, and apprehending the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, he lovingly returns to
God to walk in the way of His commandments.
Faith — Faith is a conviction of the intellect
that God will perform all that He has promised
and an implicit trust of the heart in Christ as a
personal savior. It includes a hearty concurrence
of the will and affections with the whole plan of
salvation as revealed in the gospel, and is a
condition of justification and of cleansing from
the pollution of sin and of all subsequent gospel
blessings.
Justification — Justification is an act of God
wherein He accepts as righteous the sinner, to
whom is imputed the perfect righteousness of
Christ, on the condition of faith alone.
Sanctification — The Scriptures teach that
sanctification is the process by which, according
to the will of God, Christians are made partakers
of His holiness; that it has its beginning in
regeneration, and that it is carried on in the
hearts of believers by the presence and power of
the Holy Spirit, in the continual use of the
appointed means: the Word of God, self-examination,
self-denial, watchfulness and prayer.
The Christian Sabbath — We believe that the
first day of the week is the Lord’s day or
Christian Sabbath and is to be kept sacred to
religious purposes by abstaining from all secular
labour and sinful recreations, by the devout
observance of all means of grace, both private
and public, and by preparation of that rest that
remaineth for the people of God.
A Gospel Church — We believe that a church
of Christ is a congregation of baptized believers,
associated by covenant in the faith and
fellowship of the gospel; observing the
ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws; and
exercising the gifts, rights and privileges
invested in them by His Word. In the more
general sense, the word church is used to
designate all whose names are written in the
Lamb’s Book of Life. The only scriptural
officers are bishops (pastors), and deacons,
whose qualifications, claims and duties are
defined in the epistles of Timothy and Titus.
Baptism — This is the immersion of believers
in water into the name of the Father, Son and
Holy Spirit, in which are represented their death
to the world, the washing of their souls from the
pollution of sin, their resurrection to newness of life, the burial and resurrection of Christ, their
resurrection at the last day, and their
engagement to serve God.
The Lord’s Supper — The Lord’s Supper is an
ordinance of Christ, to be observed by the
churches in the manner indicated by Him in
Matt. 26:26-30.
Death — At death our bodies return to dust, our
souls to God who gave them. The righteous
being then perfected in happiness are received to
dwell with God, awaiting the full redemption of
their bodies. The wicked are cast into Hades
reserved unto the judgment of the great day.
Resurrection — There will be a general resurrection
of the bodies of the just and of the unjust; the
righteous in the likeness of Christ, but the wicked to
shame and everlasting contempt.
General Judgment — There will be a judgment
of quick and dead, of the just and unjust, on the
principles of righteousness, by the Lord Jesus Christ,
at His second coming. The wicked will be condemned
to eternal punishment, and the righteous received
into fullness of eternal life and joy.
Church Polity
Article I — The voluntary principle underlies
the whole church polity of the New Testament.
Each church is independent, but the churches are
interdependent. All the power the more general
bodies have over the less general and the
individual churches, is to advise and to enforce
advice with the strongest moral motives. In case
a church, or the churches composing a less
general body, depart from the belief and practice
of the denomination, it shall be the right of the
more general body to withdraw fellowship.
Article II — Each church, as occasion may
require, shall have the right to appeal to the
more general body for the help of their advice
and moral influence, or to call a council from
other churches. If a church, torn by dissensions
and heresy, declines to seek assistance of this
kind, it is the right of the more general body to
send a delegation to assist the church as far as
this may be possible.
Article III — Any church should be careful in
granting a license to preach. Every license, to be
valid, must be signed by the pastor and clerk of
the church granting it, and countersigned by at
least two neighbouring pastors after an examination
of the candidate’s qualifications.
Note with regard to Article III — The local
church license to preach has been replaced with
the License to Minister. Also, neighbouring pastors
are no longer required to countersign and
examine candidates. This process has been
replaced by the association License to Minister.
Article IV — When a church desires the ordination
of a brother, a council from as many of the
nearest churches as will secure the attendance of
at least five ordained pastors, with a suitable
number of laymen may be called; or the more
general body may be requested to attend to the
matter.
Note with regard to Article IV — In 1922, this
policy was replaced by the current practice of
having a Convention examining council
consisting predominately of association
representatives. Nevertheless, ordination still
continues to be the responsibility of the local
church.
Everyone will make many decisions during his/her lifetime, some are good, while other decisions are later regretted. You will never escape the responsibility of making decisions.
This page confronts you with a decision that is the most important one of your entire life.
The decision we are talking about not only determines the quality of your present life, but also of the next one. It has to do with your attitude toward the most important Leader, that ever lived:Jesus Christ, who died on a cross to take away our guilt of sins before the Almighty Creator, God. By faith in Him you will experience the power of his saving and healing word in your life.
Make the Best Decision, come to Christ!
Baptism
As was the practice of the New Testament church, at Springhill Baptist, people who come to faith in Jesus Christ are baptized by immersion as believers to signify that they belong to Jesus Christ, who died for their sins on the cross and rose again from the dead.
In baptism, we tell the story of what Jesus Christ has done for us, washing away all of our sins and giving us eternal life. If you have not yet been baptized as a believer and sense God calling you to obedience and faith through baptism, please speak to Pastor Paul at your earliest convenience.
If you have already been baptized as a believer in another church and desire to become a member of Springhill Baptist Church, please let your interest be known to Pastor Paul to initiate the process.
Membership
The following has been extracted from The Constitution of Springhill Baptist Church concerning membership within the church:Members shall be admitted to the fellowship of the Church in any of the following ways:1. Upon profession of faith and provides satisfactory evidence of regeneration, Baptist practice, and baptism by immersion;2. By letter of transfer or dismission from a sister Church;3. By experience: If a candidate has been baptized by immersion and provides satisfactory evidence of Christian character, and is unable, for proper reasons, to obtain a letter of transfer from another Church;
4. By medical reasons: If, for medical reasons, baptism by immersion is not possible, the candidate, who gives satisfactory evidence of regeneration, and accepts the Christian Faith and Baptist practice. When appropriate and reasonable, another mode of Baptism may be used as approved by the Pastor and the Board of Deacons;
5. All requests for membership shall be approved by the Pastor and the Board of Deacons and upon the receipt of the right hand of fellowship shall become members;
6. Separation of members: Any member, who is in good standing, shall be entitled to a letter of dismission and recommendation to any Church of the same faith and order, or a certificate of membership and Christian character, if wishing to unite with a Church of another denomination;
7. Non‑resident members: Any member in good standing who has fulfilled spiritual obligations to the Church, shall at his/her request, be entitled to a Statement of Membership to unite with any Church of his/her choice; and copies of such shall be sent to the Pastor or Church Clerk.
8. All requests for separation, transfer and withdrawals shall be approved by the Pastor and the Board of Deacons;
9. Non‑ resident members and duties: Members moving to other districts and being absent longer than one year, and not desiring to take letters of transfer, may have their names placed on the non‑resident list by request or deemed by church.
As was the practice of the New Testament church, at Springhill Baptist, people who come to faith in Jesus Christ are baptized by immersion as believers to signify that they belong to Jesus Christ, who died for their sins on the cross and rose again from the dead.
In baptism, we tell the story of what Jesus Christ has done for us, washing away all of our sins and giving us eternal life. If you have not yet been baptized as a believer and sense God calling you to obedience and faith through baptism, please speak to Pastor Paul at your earliest convenience.
If you have already been baptized as a believer in another church and desire to become a member of Springhill Baptist Church, please let your interest be known to Pastor Paul to initiate the process.
Membership
The following has been extracted from The Constitution of Springhill Baptist Church concerning membership within the church:Members shall be admitted to the fellowship of the Church in any of the following ways:1. Upon profession of faith and provides satisfactory evidence of regeneration, Baptist practice, and baptism by immersion;2. By letter of transfer or dismission from a sister Church;3. By experience: If a candidate has been baptized by immersion and provides satisfactory evidence of Christian character, and is unable, for proper reasons, to obtain a letter of transfer from another Church;
4. By medical reasons: If, for medical reasons, baptism by immersion is not possible, the candidate, who gives satisfactory evidence of regeneration, and accepts the Christian Faith and Baptist practice. When appropriate and reasonable, another mode of Baptism may be used as approved by the Pastor and the Board of Deacons;
5. All requests for membership shall be approved by the Pastor and the Board of Deacons and upon the receipt of the right hand of fellowship shall become members;
6. Separation of members: Any member, who is in good standing, shall be entitled to a letter of dismission and recommendation to any Church of the same faith and order, or a certificate of membership and Christian character, if wishing to unite with a Church of another denomination;
7. Non‑resident members: Any member in good standing who has fulfilled spiritual obligations to the Church, shall at his/her request, be entitled to a Statement of Membership to unite with any Church of his/her choice; and copies of such shall be sent to the Pastor or Church Clerk.
8. All requests for separation, transfer and withdrawals shall be approved by the Pastor and the Board of Deacons;
9. Non‑ resident members and duties: Members moving to other districts and being absent longer than one year, and not desiring to take letters of transfer, may have their names placed on the non‑resident list by request or deemed by church. 
Your personal time with God, each day, affects all other parts of your life. All relationships require fellowship, time spent together. Your relationship with God is no different.
Your daily time with God is vital to experiencing the victorious Christian life. It is the most important part of walking in the Spirit (keeping Christ on the throne). If you don’t spend quality time with God, regularly, you will lack the fruit of the Spirit in your life, you will be frustrated and unfulfilled, you will not be able to accomplish your God given calling in life and the victorious Christian life, the abundant life, will never become a reality for you. Choose to devoteyourself to be close to Him!
CLICK HERE for a daily devotion by Rev. Billy Graham.
May you be blessed today as you seek Christ and His will for your life!
“…for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?” – Jer.30:21b 