Covenant
Membership at First Baptist Church of Laurel is defined by our church covenant.
Values
We Cherish Jesus
We gladly submit to Jesus Christ as our sovereign Lord and only Savior, proclaim His gospel, pursue conformity to His image, and eagerly await His glorious return.
Romans 1:16; Romans 10:9; Colossians 1:28; Philippians 2:9–11; Hebrews 9:28; James 5:7–8
We Cherish the Gospel
We rejoice in the gospel of Jesus Christ as the power of God for salvation, the foundation of our life together, and the means by which God transforms His people.
2 Corinthians 5:14–15, 21; Romans 12:1–2; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 3:12–14
We Cherish the Bible
We joyfully submit to and obey the inspired, inerrant, sufficient, and authoritative Scriptures, through which God sanctifies His people by His Spirit.
Acts 20:20; Colossians 3:16; 2 Peter 1:3; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:14–4:2; Psalm 1:2–3; Colossians 4:2–6; 1 Timothy 6:3; Titus 1:1; Hebrews 3:12–14
We Cherish God’s Design
We embrace God’s good design for His church, the family, and human flourishing by joyfully ordering our lives according to His Word.
Acts 20:20, 26–28; Acts 6:1–5; Ephesians 4:11–16; 1 Timothy 2:8–15; Genesis 1:28; Genesis 2:15; Colossians 3:18–21; Romans 7:12; Romans 8:1–5
We Cherish One Another
We covenant together to worship faithfully, love sacrificially, disciple biblically, and build one another up intentionally for the glory of God.
Acts 2:42–45; Hebrews 10:24–25; Romans 12:3–8; 1 Peter 4:8–11; Deuteronomy 6:7–9; Psalms 127–128; Colossians 3:12–22; Romans 12:10–11; 2 Corinthians 9:6–8
We Cherish the Nations
We joyfully make disciples of all nations through faithful gospel witness. United in Christ, we pursue genuine, cross-cultural fellowship as one church for the glory of God.
Matthew 5:14–16; Matthew 28:18–20; 1 Peter 2:9–12; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:14; Colossians 3:11
Beliefs
We hold to the Baptist Faith & Message 2000.
Distinctives
Our distinctives tell you more about how we seek to adhere to the biblical model of the local church. We gladly embrace the regulative principle and historic Baptist practices in doing so.
Sunday Morning: Corporate worship is commanded by God. We gather each Lord’s day to preach, sing, pray, read, and see the Word of God so that we might delight in God and be strengthened by his grace. (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10; Hebrews 10:24-25).
Expositional Preaching: We believe that “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him” (Proverbs 30:5). To this end, we are committed to verse-by-verse preaching and study of the whole counsel of God’s word.
Congregational Singing: We embrace the command to “sing to one another” (Psa 118; Eph 5:18; Col 3:16). Together we bring glorious praise to God and together we encourage and teach one another with the glorious truths of God and his salvation (Heb 2:1; 3:13; 10:19-25).
Elder-Led: The New Testament teaches that the church is governed by the congregation (Matt 16:19; 18:18-20) and led by a plurality of elders (Acts 14:23; 20:17). To this end, our elders exercise their leadership through the teaching of the Word of God (Eph 4:11-16; Tit 1:9), corporately and personally (Acts 20:20), while providing direct oversight (1 Pet 5:2-3) of all ministries of the church.
Believer’s Baptism: Baptism is an outward symbol that illustrates the inward reality of faith and a new heart. It is a first act of obedience to the Lord Jesus (cf. Matt 28:19). Baptism is not salvific, but only symbolic. The practice of believer’s baptism was exemplified by the early church (cf. Acts 2:41; 16:33; 18:8; 1 Cor 1:14-16).
The Lord’s Supper: The Lord’s Supper is a corporate proclamation of the gospel through symbolic means. As with Baptism, the Supper marks out who the church is and illustrates the gospel. Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper by example and by command (Matt. 26:26-28; 1 Cor 11:23). The Lord’s Supper symbolizes the death of the Lord Jesus and is given only to baptized believers.
Our Statements
The following statements have been written and affirmed by the Elders of FBCL and are both supported and taught in the pulpit ministry.