This We Believe...

The Second Baptist Church stands for freedom of the individual in all matters of faith and practice of religion. Such a belief and such a spirit is a challenge to live with all one's powers and creativeness in fulfilling God's purpose. Tradition is worthless if it does not give strength and vision for the present and hope for the future. The tradition of freedom in this Church is truly a spirit which has been passed on to our generation. It is the very atmosphere of our Church, the refreshing air we breathe.


Belief in freedom means that we believe in one another; it means we place the highest value in people, and the individuality of people; it means that we believe that life's highest experience is the experience of a person with God through Jesus Christ, and that no person shall be limited or thwarted in this experience but encouraged and strengthened.

In this Church, therefore, it is not agreement that we seek, but truth, vision and friendship in order to build the bonds of unity for service to God. Freedom to believe does not mean that we are without belief or believe in less, but rather it is a challenge to believe more; and with fervor to search out the infinite possibilities for the enrichment of our faith.


With our heritage which has given us beautiful buildings and fine facilities, there has been the constant temptation to place our hope in things and numbers. We are too often dependent on attendance records and financial reports. But basically our hope is not in numbers or in things, but rather in a quality of life expressed through individuals and groups working with thoroughness in the achievement of the purposes of Christ.


The pioneering spirit has led us to reach out continually into new areas to anticipate and meet the needs of people. But variety and novelty are never our aim, and our goals must never be dimmed with a multitude of activities. Our goals are a deepening of our individual devotion to God; the development of a closer friendship between all our members; the extension of the ways of cooperation with other religious groups; and the building of a greater awareness of human need at home and throughout the world. All this with the fervent hope that God will use us for His purposes through Second Baptist Church.

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