Our doctrinal and practical position as a church. This is a document that all members should believe and adhere to.
The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith is a summary of the major doctrines of the Bible, and held to for centuries by evangelical and reformed Baptist churches.
Providence Baptist Chapel subscribes to what is commonly described as Reformed Theology. This exposition of Scripture sees the Bible as a basic unity, with both the Old and the New Testaments declaring the one triune God, one Saviour from sin, one way of salvation, and one covenant of grace. As well as our sincere belief in the Bible as the Word of God, we also subscribe to our subordinate standards: the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689), our Church Statement of Faith, and Church Covenant. These we believe to be an accurate body of major doctrines of the Bible which are held by us.
In its evangelism Providence Baptist Chapel proclaims the Gospel, consciously acknowledging that all those whom the Father has given to Christ will come to Him and He will in no wise cast them out. Our adherence to the doctrine of election inspires rather than hinders our gospel endeavours. God has not only ordained those who will believe but also the means by which they believe.
Since its inception Providence Baptist Chapel has placed great emphasis on private and public prayer. It stresses the importance of prayer in the life of the congregation and encourages regular attendance at the public times of prayer. Our elders regularly meet for special times of prayer, and our church has special days of prayer during the year.
We believe that the worship of the Triune God should follow the pattern clearly taught in the Bible. This consists of the reading and hearing of the Word of God, prayer, expository and experiential preaching, and the singing of Psalms and biblical hymns. It is to be done with reverence and godly fear from a heart filled with praise and thankfulness, realising who God is, and what we are in His sight.
We believe that the Lord’s people must keep themselves clear from worldliness and false teaching. This is the doctrine of biblical separation. False teaching stems from an impaired view of the supremacy, inspiration and infallibility of the Bible and leads to departure from other fundamental doctrines of the faith. True churches must defend and preserve the Truth at all costs never compromising the only way of salvation.