What We Believe

At our Church, we believe that the Bible is God’s Word and it is our authority.

 We believe that Jesus Christ, the one true Son of God, came to earth to die on the cross for our sins, rose again on the third day, and will return to take all who have faith in Him to be with Him forever.

We also believe there are no perfect people. We are all broken people whom God is putting back together. That is why God calls us to be faithful, not perfect..

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Church shall be to advance the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ.  It shall seek to attain this end through the public worship of God, the preaching of the Gospel, personal evangelism, missionary endeavor, Christian Education and Godly living by its members.

STATEMENT OF FAITH

Statement of beliefs adopted by First Baptist Church of Watertown, SD

  •  Jesus is the head of our church. 
  • We believe in God as Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 
  • We believe in the living God, Creator and Sustainer of heavens and the earth.
  • We believe that Jesus was 100% human and 100% divine. 
  • We believe in Jesus Christ, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, God’s only Son, Our Lord, Messiah, Mediator, and Redeemer. 
  • We believe the Holy Spirit, is fully divine that comes from God and Christ, who is the giver of new life.  The Holy Spirit is present and active in the lives of believers. 
  • We believe in the redemptive work of Christ on the Cross. Through Jesus’ crucifixion salvation is open to all humans who receive Jesus. 
  • We believe that no man is perfect. That is the reason why Jesus paid for our debts on the Cross. 
  • Although man is sinful, we believe that man has the free will to receive the eternal gift of salvation offered by Jesus Christ.  God died for all, not just those predestined. 
  • We believe in the Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and eventual Return of Jesus Christ. 
  • We believe in one Christian Church, the Body of Christ, established by Jesus Christ, composed of His followers who have repented, been baptized, and are born again.  
  • We believe our local body of believers is the Body of Christ which works within the larger picture of the Body of Christ. 
  • We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. We should not add to it or subtract from it. The Bible, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is the source for our theology. 
  • We believe in the priesthood of all believers. 
  • We believe in a literal heaven and a literal hell. 
  • We believe in the existence of Satan and his demons. We also believe in spiritual warfare. God is able to empower and protect us if we trust Him. 
  • We believe that God’s design for sexual intimacy places it within the context of a marriage between a man and a woman, and acknowledge that the practice of homosexuality, adultery, and premarital sex is incompatible with biblical teachings. 
  • We believe that Christians have been blessed with spiritual gifts. However, the greatest gift is love. And if we prioritize other gifts over expressing forgiveness and love, we are undercutting the way that God desires us to live. 
  • We believe that Jesus calls believers to repent and to be baptized by immersion.  We do not believe one should be baptized until one can truly repent and has faith in Jesus. 
  •  We believe that Communion should be practiced in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice. We do not believe the bread and cup actually turn into the body and blood of Jesus. 
  • We believe that infant dedication is an optional event in which parents make vows to raise their child or children according to the ways of God.  In the ceremony of infant dedication the congregation vows to be a help in spiritually raising the child in accordance with what the parents allow.  Infant dedication is not infant baptism, which is not practiced at our church.  
  • We believe that born again Christians, no matter the denomination, should be willing to work together to advance the Kingdom of God.