We are pleased that you are showing an interest in our church. We believe whole-heartedly in what we are doing and in what we stand for here in this ministry and we hope to make a positive difference here in Northeast Edmonton. Please take a moment and read through the following topics that help to define and explain who we are:
WHO ARE WE?
1) We are a Bible Believing/Teaching Church:
The most important characteristic that defines our church is that we try to take all that we believe and practice directly from the pages of scripture, and from scripture alone. We do not rely on man-made tradition, popular trends, or cultural influences. We focus heavily on the clear teaching and practicing of God’s Holy Word. This philosophy of ministry is evident in our services. While we enjoy worshipping together in song, prayer, and other forms of praise (all of which are commanded in the Bible), the teaching of God’s Word is central and prominent in our services and in our ministry as a whole. We believe that the Bible is God’s self-revelation and His communication to us. For this reason, we are careful to take time to listen to what He has to say. This ministry is a great fit for you if you are primarily looking to hear from God through the clear systematic teaching of His Word to find the answers for life.
2) We are a Focused Church:
Here at Lighthouse Baptist Church, we have a mission that we are working towards together. We are asking that each part of our church family get involved and help serve God towards the fulfilling of this goal. This is not a church for a passive observer, a religious consumer, or a spiritual “taker.” We believe that in rolling up one’s sleeves and serving our Lord and Saviour shoulder to shoulder, we will each in turn be ministered to. In other words, blessings are most potently found in serving God and others. Our mission statement is as follows:
MISSION STATEMENT:
“Cultivating a lifestyle of worship, obedience, and service through Jesus Christ.”
MINISTRY STATEMENTS: (The Values and Goals set out to help fulfill our Mission)
1) “Sola Scriptura”
(in all things - by scripture alone, both in faith and in practice)
2) “Redeemed from the World, Separated to Christ”
(bringing our family into a vibrant relationship with Christ)
3) “Evangelizing the Lost”
(spreading the message of God’s salvation by grace alone through Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross)
4) “Discipling All Believers”
(Training believers to always be pursuing the ‘next step’ in their walks with Christ)
5) “Baptizing by Immersion”
(Teaching all new believers about the command to be baptized as an outward public testimony of their inner salvation)
6) “Observing the Lord’s Supper”
(Fulfilling the command to always be in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice for us to pay for our sins)
7) “Bearing the Fruit of the Spirit”
(allowing God’s Spirit to bring forth spiritual “fruit” in our lives by learning to yield to Him more and more)
8) “Conservative, Christ-Honoring Worship Styles”
(worshipping God in a way that is set apart from the world’s culture, in lifestyle, music, and other forms of worship)
3) We are a Family-Oriented Church:
Our ministry is devoted to help strengthen what God has designed to be stable, close-knit families. Out of the three institutions given by God (family, government, and church), the family was given to mankind first and we believe that families hold a special place in God’s purpose for humanity. To reflect this goal we have ministries designed to strengthen the husbands and fathers in their role as the humble servant-leaders. We have ministries designed to help wives and mothers in their task of being supportive helpers and encouragers. We have a weekly ministry for the Youth, College, and Career (YCC) group to help them transition from dependence on others to independence in a Biblical way, and how to think and study the Bible for themselves. And finally, we have a vibrant children’s ministry designed to introduce children to God and cultivate a growing relationship with - and dependance on - Him in their lives.
4) We are a Conservative, Servant-Leadership-styled Church:
We have observed two extremes on the spectrum of unbiblical churches around us both here in western Canada, and all across North America. On one extreme, churches have become so enamoured with the culture around us and the philosophies that come with it that they have weakened the absolute authority and inerrency of God’s Word and have watered down the gospel. These churches - while often friendly, fun, and enjoyable to attend, have compromised core truths of the Christian faith. On the other hand, are churches who are so focused on protecting the authority of the scriptures, that they forget to practice those same scriptures that they claim to defend so adamantly. They create a rigid environment focused on external requirements where preferences are treated as law, and conformity is prime while compassion, grace, and servant-mindedness are only spoken of, not practiced. Both of these extremes are seen as unbiblical here at LBC, and we believe that those who practice these extremes are hurting the overall reputation of Christ and Christianity. It has long been the practice of Fundamental Christians to overlook the errors within our own movement and only point the finger of blame at those who are slipping theologically, instead of consistently confronting all who are not holding to the scriptures. It is our aim to stand firmly on a conservative fundamental position theologically while practicing a philosophy of ministry that is focused first on touching people’s lives through the heart. We hope - by God’s good grace - to practice a humble, servant-minded style of leadership where the pastors are not regarded as being on a higher plane or pedestal of existence, but are just part of the flock, yet called of God to stand and lead the flock in Christlike character. We hope that this mindset of humility and working together for the goal will pervade every area of our church. We hope that every new visitor will be struck with our passion and reverence for the authority of God’s Word, and our warm example of putting that word into consistent practice by ministering as Christ would minister.
5) We are an Independent Church:
We do not belong to a denomination, conference, or convention. We are an independent church that looks to the Bible as our only authority for all that we believe and all that we practice. As an independent church, we are free to establish our ministry according to the instructions in the Bible without fear of interference from any authority outside of our church family. This independence grants us a great deal of liberty to practice our faith without fear of outside persecution or pressure. But, being independent does not mean that we are isolated or “stand-off-ish.” Our pastors are members of the Western Canada Baptist Fellowship, a group of godly, conservative men who wish to strengthen one another in fellowship and accountability. The freedom that independence affords us is a great blessing, but we also have a healthy realization of our own potential for wandering away from core Christian values. Thus, we see a great benefit to fellowshipping with other ministries and pastors of like faith and practice for mutual encouragement and accountability.
6) We are a Baptist Church:
What does it mean to be a Baptist Church? Our last intention in using the name Baptist is to have someone enter our ministry as a first time visitor and say, “Oh, so you’re Baptists. Okay, I’ve heard of them.” The reason we mention this is that the label Baptist means many different things to many different people - not all of which are good associations. Thus, we feel the need to clarify our identity in a little more detail. We choose to identify with the Baptists of church history who took a stand against the errors they saw in the corrupted Catholic Church, the Church of England, and others. They acted on their beliefs (see below) and took a stand against the largely political churches of the day who had wandered from the Bible’s teachings. But this does not mean that we adhere to all of the stereotypical views of many of the baptist groups that exist today (much has changed since the 1600’s). Thus, we are not Baptist by denominational loyalty, but rather by identification with the many faithful followers of the Lord in church history - some of whom even gave their lives for their beliefs. If there came a day in which being Baptist caused most people to assume that we were something that was far from the teachings of the scriptures, we would no longer hold to the label, because we are not loyal to a label, to a group, or anything else. We are loyal to the scriptures and to Christ.
When we claim the title Baptist, it is almost entirely because we believe and practice the following list of traditional, historical Baptist Distinctives:
1) B - Bible as our sole authority for faith and practice - We are not loyal to church tradition, human reason, or interpretation. We determine our beliefs from a literal interpretation of the text of scripture.
2) A - Autonomy (independence) - Each local church has independent freedom to determine its faith and practice based on God’s Word without fearing interference from a denomination or conference authority.
3) P - Priesthood of the believer - Every Christian has personal access to a relationship with God, without needing to go through a priest.
4) T - Two church offices - The Bible outlines two offices for church government: the Pastor (or elder or minister, or bishop) and the Deacon (I Tim. 3).
5) I - Individual soul liberty - Each individual may determine how to best live out the Bible for themselves. Where the Bible’s teachings are narrowly applied, each individual’s application should look virtually the same (ex. “Thou shalt not kill”). Where scripture gives a broad principle to follow, people may apply it with some variety and still be right before God (ex. Clothing styles).
6) S - Saved church membership - Scripturally, only consenting believers ought to be baptized and accepted into church membership.
7) T - Two church ordinances - Jesus Christ established the Lord’s Supper, and Baptism as the church’s two ordinances with the purpose of helping us demonstrate and remember His sacrificial death for our sins. These two ordinances cannot earn us God’s grace. All other sacraments are not required by scripture and they too, cannot earn us God’s grace.