Union Lake Baptist Church exists to Know Jesus & To Make Him Known
Our Mission
Union Lake Baptist Church is a community of believers committed to an ongoing life of growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. This growth is not for our benefit alone, but with a goal of sharing Him with our local community and among the nations. God our Savior is worthy to be praised. For that reason, we want to praise Him more accurately and joyfully, as well as having many, many voices added to our own in the worship of Him. It is for these reasons that ULBC’s God-glorifying, joy-producing Mission is To Know Jesus and Make Him Known.
In order to fulfill the first part of our Mission – to Know Jesus – we are necessarily committed to the expositional preaching of the Word of God, through which we seek the rich, multi-faceted Gospel of Jesus Christ as the goal of His revelation to us. It is this life-transforming Gospel that enables us to die to sin and to live to God, and so we employ it in everything we do – our preaching, teaching, counseling, discipleship, and family ministries.
In our great desire to achieve the second portion of our Mission – to Make Him Known – we strive to reach into our community and around the world primarily by proclaiming the cross of Christ. We also strive to walk in the compassionate footsteps of our Savior by frequently coupling our evangelism with mercy ministry. We purpose to make Jesus known through our individual relationships and ministries, as well as when we join together for church-wide endeavors.
1. 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 of faith and conduct (Matt 5:18; Jn 10:35; 17:17; 2 Tim 3:16-17; Heb 4:12; 2 Pet 1:20-21).
2. THE TRINITY
We believe in one God, Creator and Sustainer of all things, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; but without division of God’s nature, essence, or being. These three are equal and perfect in every divine attribute, and they execute distinct and harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption (Gen 1:1; Matt 28:19; Jn 1:1- 3,14,18; 4:24; 10:30; Acts 5:3-4; Rom 9:5; 2 Cor 13:14).
3. GOD THE FATHER
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, 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 (Ex 3:14; Deut 32:6; Is 57:15; 64:8; Jer 32:17; Matt 5:45; 7:11; Jn 4:24; 5:26; 6:37-40; Acts 14:16-17; Rom 11:23; 1 Cor 8:6; 1 Jn 4:8; 5:14-15).
4. JESUS CHRIST
We believe in Jesus Christ, God's eternal Son, who fully possesses the same nature and attributes as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He is not only true God but true Man, sent by the Father, 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 return from heaven (Mk 1:1; Lk 1:30-35; Jn 1:1-3,14,18; 10:25-38; Acts 1:11; Rom 5:8; 1 Cor 15:3-4; Col 1:15-20; 1 Thes 1:10; 4:16-17; 1 Tim 2:5; Heb 1:3; 4:15; 7:24-25; 1 Jn 2:2; 4:10).
5. THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the Holy Spirit, co-equal with the Father and the Son. We believe in 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. He also intercedes for believers according to the will of God and empowers them for service through the giving of spiritual gifts and for godly living (Jn 14:16-17; 15:26; 16:8-11; Acts 1:8; Rom 12:3- 8; 1 Cor 2:13; 12:4-13; Eph 1:13; 2 Thes 2:13-14; Ti 3:5; 1 Jn 2:20).
6. HUMANITY
We believe God created humanity, male and female, in the image of God, free from sin. By disobeying God and falling into sin through Satan’s temptation, Adam forfeited his original blessedness, both for himself and all his descendants. As a result of the fall, all persons are sinners by nature and by choice and are therefore spiritually dead; yet the Holy Spirit
regenerates repentant sinners who trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Gen 1:26-27; Rom 5:12-19; Eph 2:1-9).
7. SALVATION
We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. This salvation is based upon the sovereign grace of God, was purchased by Christ on the cross, and is received through faith apart from any human merit, works, or ritual. Additionally, God keeps this salvation by His own power for His people until it is fully realized in the presence of their Savior. As a result of God’s keeping power, perseverance until the end is thus a mark of genuine believers (Rom 3:20-26; 8:23, 30; Eph 1:2-14; 2:8-9; Ti 3:5; 1 Pet 1:4-5; Rev 3:5).
8. THE CHURCH
We believe in the church, the spiritual body of which Christ is the head and the spiritual temple of which Christ is the foundation. It is composed of all persons who possess saving faith in Jesus Christ and have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. This invisible, universal church expresses itself in visible local churches comprised of believers in Christ who commit themselves to God and one another. The ordinances of the church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matt 16:16- 18; 28:18-20; Acts 2:32-47; 1 Cor 11:23-32; 12:13; Eph 1:22-23; 4:3-6; Col 1:18). We believe each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ, is self-governing in function, and is interdependent in relationship with other true churches. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord, yet each must submit mutually to the others in love (Matt 16:18-19; 18:15-20; 1 Cor 5:4-5; Eph 5:21). We believe the church’s scriptural officers are elders and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the offices of elder and deacon are limited to men as qualified by Scripture (Phil 1:1; 1 Tim 2:12; 3:1-13; 5:17; Ti 1:5-9).
9. CHRISTIAN CONDUCT
We believe saving faith inevitably produces good works. The supreme task of every believer is to glorify God in thought, speech, conduct, and lifestyle. Each Christian should seek to be a growing disciple of Jesus Christ in every area of life, a faithful steward of all resources, and an ambassador for Christ before the world (Matt 5:14-16; 25:14-30; 28:19; Jn 13:35; 17:20-21; Rom 8:29; 1 Cor 10:31; Phil 2:14-16; Jas 2:14-26).
10. THE SANCTITY OF LIFE
We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life (Ps 139).
11. MARRIAGE, GENDER AND SEXUALITY
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Gen 1:26- 27). Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Gen 2:18-25). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4). We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pedophilia and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God (Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10). We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Union Lake Baptist Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the Union Lake Baptist Church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Union Lake Baptist Church in any capacity, who serve as volunteers, or who agree to be members of Union Lake Baptist Church agree to abide by our Statement of Faith and this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality (Matt 5:16; Phil 2:14-16; 1 Thes 5:22). We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9- 11). We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mk 12:28-31; Lk 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Union Lake Baptist Church. Because God has ordained marriage and defined it as the covenant relationship between a man a woman and Himself, Union Lake Baptist Church will only recognize marriages between a biological man and a biological woman. Further, the Elders and staff of Union Lake Baptist Church shall only participate in weddings and solemnize marriages between one man and one woman. Finally, the facilities and property of Union Lake Baptist Church shall only host weddings between one man and one woman.
12. LAST THINGS
We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ in power and glory to receive His church to Himself and to bring the world to its appointed end. The dead will be raised, and Jesus Christ will judge both the living and the dead. The unrighteous will be punished in hell, and the righteous will dwell with Christ forever in the new heaven and the new earth (Acts 1:11; 1 Thes 4:13-17; Rev 20-22).
13. OTHER DOCTRINAL STATEMENTS
To further define what we believe, we hereby adopt by reference The Apostles’ Creed, The Nicene Creed, The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration, and the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.
Our Vision
We seek to fulfill our mission to know Jesus and make Him known through God’s power in disciple-making and gospel partnerships.
Divine Power: No spiritual effort can be successful without God’s powerful grace. For this reason, we commit ourselves to pray for the Lord to accomplish this vision by His love and power working through us as we employ His ordained means. As such, we are committed to using the word of God to bring about spiritual good. The word of God does the work of God to make and shape the people of God through the Spirit of God.
Disciple-Making: Our mission To Know Jesus and Make Him Known is best seen in our evangelizing unbelievers in our community and training up our members to be fully engaged in the mission. As such, we devote ourselves to:
- Evangelism: Disciple-making begins with evangelizing our neighbors, and so we are committed to encouraging and training our members to be equipped evangelists
- Equipping: Disciple-making continues by training the saints and helping to cultivate their spiritual gifts so they are prepared to do the work of the ministry
- Engagement: Disciple-making finds its fulfillment as mature disciples consistently engage in the gospel mission themselves, bringing the disciple-making process full circle
Gospel Partnerships: Since the gospel mission is bigger than the ministry of our church and immediate community, we partner with other churches, ministries, missionaries, and our own members in their disciple-making efforts.
- Launching Out: We participate with our own members and others who engage in disciple-making outside of our local church, including church-planting, church-revitalization, and mercy ministry
- Reaching Out: We join with and help other churches, ministries, and missionaries in their disciple-making through training, sharing resources, and encouraging a gospel-centered approach to ministry
As a Baptist Church, we are not subject to any authority outside of our congregation apart from the Word of God. Having the same convictions and mission, we have partnered with the Southern Baptist Convention as our formal denomination. Therefore, we adhere to the Baptist Faith and Message.
To further define what we believe, we have also adopted by reference The Apostles’ Creed, The Nicene Creed, The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration, and The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.