We believe …
Foundations are always important. All the more so within a body of God’s people, a local church. It is important that God’s word, the Bible, is what we stand upon, what guides our path, and leads our vision. You will find out more about these on this page.
Foundations
Cambray Baptist Church exists to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and our only Saviour in our lives, our speech, and all we do. We are Jesus ruled, elder led, living under the teaching of God’s word the Bible.
Because we take God’s call to love Him with all our heart, mind and strength seriously, at the centre of our gathered worship is God’s word, working through the whole of the Bible a section at a time, learning together from God and seeking to apply His word through His Spirit into our lives daily.
Because we take God’s call to make disciples seriously, we invest strongly in Small Groups of many kinds, where we can gather around God’s word to learn together, pray together, and grow together.
Because we take God’s call to go into all the world as His witnesses seriously, the core of our work is to reach out to the lost both where the church is located and where God scatters His people throughout the week. The relevance of God’s work in our lives today is reflected in our sung gathered worship, which is contemporary whilst seeking to use the best of godly songwriters across the years.
Vision
Our Mission:
Our mission is to proclaim Jesus as Saviour and Lord in Cheltenham, this nation and the world.
Outworking:
The greatest commandment is to LOVE God with all our heart, mind and strength and we can only do this if we know him. So we are gathered together by God to hear his Word in which Jesus is revealed, and we respond to His word in praise, adoration, and application.
Together we are called to GROW in Christ likeness. We need each other’s help to accomplish this. Our aim is that every believer is equipped to be a disciple-making disciple. So we meet in homes regularly, seeking to apply God’s word in our lives and grow together in Jesus, and we provide regular training evenings to train in discipling others.
God clearly commands us to GO to make disciples of all nations wherever the Lord scatters us during the week. We aim to equip every member to speak clearly and boldly of Jesus to those about them and we run relevant and exciting events and courses where people can hear more about God’s love for them in Jesus.
Objectives
Our Objectives
A Growing Family
We want to be a healthy church where people regularly come to faith in Jesus as the gospel is faithfully proclaimed in the church and lived out in the lives of His people.
hungry for His Word
We want to be known for the depth and quality of Bible teaching in our gatherings, which is worked out powerfully in our lives by His Spirit.
belonging to His body
We want to experience a deep one-ness, first of all in Christ who is our head and we parts of His body, and then to one another as we use our gifts sacrificially to encourage one another and grow together to be more like Jesus.
living in Love
We want to live out our response to God’s love to us in loving one another, intentionally investing in relationships with one another, gratefully serving one another, a community of loving children of God and keeping unity in the bond of peace.
in Thriving Small Groups
We want to everyone in the church who is able to seek to be involved in growing together in Small Groups within which we seek to grow together in His word, in prayerful concern for one another, and in caring fellowship together, disciple-making disciples.
with Loving Leaders
We want to be shepherd leaders, leading in the pathways God’s word directs us to, listening to the needs of His people, enabling people to live for Him, and growing a new generation of leaders.
doing Mission
We long that every person is equipped and envisioned by God for the gospel needs around them, boldly using every opportunity to live out and share the gospel where they are scattered and excited by all God is doing throughout the world.
Statement of Faith
The following summary of Bible Teaching represents the doctrinal basis of Cambray Baptist Church.
The divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures as originally given, not only containing but being in themselves the Word of God. Their final authority for the believer in all matters of faith and practice (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21)
In the one Godhead there are three Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14). The Sovereignty, Holiness, Love and Grace of God in Creation, Providence and Redemption (Eph. 1:11; Rev. 4:11; 1 John 4:10 ; John 3:16; 1 John 1:5)
(a) His true deity as the Son of God (Col. 2:9)
(b) His virgin birth (Matt. 1:18-25)
(c) His real and perfect humanity (Luke 2:1-52)
(d) The absolute authority of His teaching and the infallibility of all His utterances (John 8:26,28)
(e) His finished work of Atonement for sinners by His suffering and dying as their substitute (Matt. 26:28; 1 Tim. 2:5-6)
(f) His bodily Resurrection and His Ascension into Heaven (1 Cor. 15:12-34; Acts 1:9-11)
(g) His present High Priestly intercession for his people (Heb. 7:25)
(h) His personal return (John 14:13; Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:14-18)
The work of the Holy Spirit in the new birth, conversion and holy living (John 16:8-15; Eph. 2:1-10)
The corruption of every part of human nature as a result of sin and necessity of the New Birth (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:21-22; John 3:3-8)
The sinner is put right with God through the atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ and this blessing is to be received by faith alone (Rom. 4:24-25; Rom. 5:1-2)
The resurrection of the body (1 Cor. 15:50-57) and the judgement of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 17:30-31; Matt. 13:24-30; Matt. 13:36-43)
Two ordinances of divine institution are observed:
(a) Believers’ baptism by immersion as a confession of faith and an act of obedience (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:38)
(b) The Lord’s Supper as an act of remembrance and fellowship (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 10:16; 1 Cor. 11:23-28)
The Church of Jesus Christ is composed of all those who, confessing their repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, have been born again by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:22-23; John 10:16)
Additional Statements
We have the following additional statements where clarity has been requested on certain issues. These statements reflect the Biblical position of the church.
We hold to the Bible’s teaching and the historic position of Bible-believing churches that:
- Sexual activity is a gift to be enjoyed only within (heterosexual) marriage and that, outside of this setting, it is sinful;
- Marriage involves a man and a woman, bound together in lifelong covenant relationship, a relationship that cannot be redefined;
- Forgiveness and grace that extend to all who repent of their sin, including those for whom sexual sin has formed a major part of their backgrounds.
In line with the above reaffirmation:
- we will seek to uphold traditional biblical sexual ethics in both our teaching and our practice within Cambray Baptist Church;
- we will not agree to perform, bless or host same-sex marriage or wedding ceremonies;
- we recognise that many Christians struggle with sexual temptation (whether same-sex attraction or heterosexual), and so will prayerfully foster within Cambray Baptist Church, loving and gracious support of one another as we face these struggles.