WHY ARE WE BAPTISTS?
We are defined by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the good news. The Great Commission Baptists are a cooperative of like minded churches whose foundation is the gospel of Jesus Christ and the mission of sharing that gospel throughout the world. By cooperating with thousands of other churches (the GCB is the largest protestant denomination) we are able to do much more with our tithes and offerings.
We are aligned in our theology. We believe that the scriptures are true from Genesis to Revelation. We believe in the triune God of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe that man has sinned and fallen short of Gods glory and that Jesus through his death and resurrection paid the price for our sins and all that call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. We believe that it is through faith not works that we are saved. We believe that salvation as a gift of God cannot be taken away by man. We believe that the Church is the bride of Christ and the communion of the saints is a necessary part of the spiritual discipline. We believe in baptism by immersion (that is what baptism means). We believe that one day the Lord will return and establish a new Kingdom. We believe that there is a hell and there is a heaven. We believe that all people are called to share the saving faith in Jesus Christ and to use their gifts and abilities to further the Kingdom of God.
We exist with autonomy….each church within the denomination is autonomous. In other words…how we function, how we worship, how we preach is not dictated by anyone other than the Elders of our local church.
WHY DON’T WE CALL OURSELVES LIVE OAK BAPTIST?
Because Baptists have a reputation. The history of the baptist church is riddled with abuse and racism…we acknowledge this and own the sin and repent and grow. Baptists are also seen as rather traditional in their worship styles and approach to society. Baptists are also seen by some as extreme in their political stances that may or may not align with the purposes of God.
WHY ARE WE GREAT COMMISSION BAPTISTS INSTEAD OF SOUTHERN BAPTIST?
In 2012 The Southern Baptist Convention adopted a name change to the Great Commission Baptist. Why? Well primarily as stated that the SBC has churches in all 50 states and all over the world. It is no longer a regional denomination as it was when it began. It also accents the core value of our denomination.
Many churches have tried to change the name in their congregations but many don’t like change or didn’t trust the motivation behind the change…as a church plant we don’t have to fight the battle of tradition by changing the designation
MYTHS OF GCB
Everyone is not a republican
We are racists
We are homophobes
Westview Baptist Church is part of your denomination
Sean Rheaume 