Church Covenant

We, who are members of the First Baptist Church of Clinton, Wisconsin, joyfully enter into covenant with Jesus Christ, the Great Head of the Church; and with one another.

We covenant in humble reliance upon divine help to walk together in Christian love; to remember each other in sickness and distress; to be ever slow to take offence; and constantly to be ready for reconciliation.

We also covenant to labor and to pray for the spiritual growth and material needs of this church; to attend its services regularly; to sustain its doctrines, ordinances and disciplines; to give it sacred preeminence over all institutions of human origin; and to contribute freely of our means to the support of the ministry at home and abroad.

We further covenant to maintain the habit of daily devotion; to educate our children in the Christian faith; to make earnest efforts to win our kindred and acquaintances to Christ; to be honest in our dealings; truthful in our speech; faithful in our engagements; temperate in our habits; and considerate in service and love.

We moreover covenant that when we move from this place, we will unite as soon as possible with another Christian church in which we can carry forward the teachings of God’s Holy Word.

Preamble

Reposing our faith wholly in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, we believe in the teachings and practices of the Baptists and in those great distinctive principles for which they have stood, namely:

1. The preeminence of Christ as our divine Lord and Savior
2. The supreme authority of the Bible and its sufficiency as our only rule of faith and practice.
3. The right of the individual to interpret the Bible and directly approach God
4. The separation of church and state
5. A regenerate church membership
6. The ordinance of believer’s baptism by immersion in obedience to Christ’s command
7. The autonomy of the local church and its interdependence in associated fellowship with other Christian churches.
8. The practice of majority rule
9. The spiritual unity of all believer’s
10. A world-wide program of missionary endeavor and evangelism in obedience to the final command of Jesus

Statement of Faith

First Baptist Church of Clinton, Wisconsin

2013

The Bible

We believe the Bible is the Word of God contained within the Old and New Testaments.  It was fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts by the work of the Holy Spirit through mankind.  Therefore the Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

The Trinity

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three equal and divine persons, and that they execute distinct but harmonious work in creation, providence and redemption.  The eternal Triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes but without division of nature, essence or being.

God the Father

We believe there is only one true, living and eternal God.  God the Father is the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love.  We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of all people, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, born of Mary who was chosen specifically by God, and in His sinless life, miracles and teachings. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin.  We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth.  We believe He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.

Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine.  The Holy Spirit is continually active in the world, exalting Christ, enabling mankind to understand truth, convicting men of sin, righteousness and judgment.  He calls men to the Savior and effects regeneration.  He bestows the spiritual gifts by which believers serve God through His church.  He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption and His presence in the Christian is the guarantee of his redemption.  The Holy Spirit enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism and service.  We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, comforter and guide.

Salvation

We believe that salvation has been offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  There is no salvation apart from a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who by His blood obtained eternal redemption from the penalty of sin for those who believe.  We believe therefore, that those who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will rejoice forever in God’s presence and those who refuse Jesus will be forever separated from God.

The Church

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.

The Ordinances

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the Triune God. We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.