Our vision as a church is to lead people to believe, belong, and become all that God has called them to be in Christ. The three key words of that statement, believe, belong, and become, guide our worship and fellowship at Standale Baptist Church.
The entire Bible points to Christ and explains everyone’s need for a savoir. We believe Jesus Christ is the only savior, and therefore we worship God out of gratitude and love. The focus of worship is God, not us. In worshiping, we gather to hear God’s Word, to strengthen our faith, and to focus our attention on loving and glorifying God. As Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-38, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” We meet to worship because we believe in the truth of the gospel, which is the good news of Jesus Christ’s birth, death, burial, and resurrection. Matthew 4:23 states, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” Worship is a response to God of all that we are: heart, mind, body, will. Worshiping God leads us to a greater recognition and appreciation of Him and deeper fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
In these smaller groups, we grow our love and knowledge of God through the study of His Word, the Bible. Additionally, this shared approach to understanding of God’s Word builds a sense of belongingness. Working and growing together in understanding allows greater interaction, encouragement, and care between each other as individuals. Our growing love for God becomes foundational for our growing love for each other through our smaller communities of fellowship. We emphasize the greater accountability and personal care within these groups that meet each week.
As we obey God’s Word and fellowship with each other, our gratitude to God can be expressed through ministry or service. It is through acts of service that God gives us opportunities to introduce our unbelieving family, friends, and neighbors to salvation. We seek to express love to those around us in our lives because the second greatest commandment of Christ is reinforced, which is, “to love your neighbor as yourselves” (Matthew 22:39). God wants to use us in leading others to believe, belong, and become all that God has called them to be in Christ. We express our gratitude for Christ through sharing our time, giftedness, talents, and financial resources. We do this by serving Christ through His church. Come and join us as we meet together to honor God and encourage each other!