OUR MISSION

For over 140 years, Bonsack’s mission has been simple and unchanging: to share Christ and build believers.

We want others to know the joy of believing, trusting and following Jesus Christ. Wherever you may be on your journey, whatever your experience with God may have been up to this moment, we hope your experience with us will reveal something of the love of Jesus. We believe he is ready to meet you wherever you are, and we would love to be a place where that happens. Learn more about us below, plan a visit, and join us at Sunday morning worship or Bible Study.

Statement of Beliefs

God

There is one and only one living and true God. He is the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of all that exists. He has eternally existed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are co-equal with one another and who are one God. Though His ways and His power are far greater than humans can comprehend, He has revealed Himself to us in the person and the work of Jesus Christ, and in the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 55:6-10; Psalm 100

The Father

God the Father is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being. All powerful, all loving, and all wise, He created all that exists, and reigns with providential care over all creation. He is perfect in righteousness, holiness, and power, and desires a personal relationship with all people through the reconciling ministry of Jesus Christ.

Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Leviticus 22:2; Psalm 19:1-3; Matthew 6:9-14; Ephesians 4:4-6

The Son

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who is co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He was present in the beginning, and through Him all things were made. He became a human being by being born to a virgin. Fully God, and fully human, He lived a sinless life and died on a cross as the perfect and complete sacrifice for the sins of the world. He was raised back to life after three days. In so doing, He defeated the power of sin and death for all who come to Him in faith. He has ascended into heaven, and one day will return to judge the earth and to reign as the King of Kings.

Genesis 18:1-15; Psalm 2:7-12; John 1:1-18; Romans 5:12-21; Revelation 1:12-16

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son. He is the indwelling presence of God in the world. He works to convict people of sin and convince them of their need for Jesus Christ. He brings about spiritual regeneration in all those who repent and turn to Christ in faith. He illuminates the hearts and minds of believers to understand and obey spiritual truth. He provides comfort and strength and gives every believer one or more spiritual gifts for doing the work of the gospel in the world.

Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; Psalm 51:11; Luke 1:35; Acts 2:1-21; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

The Bible

The Bible is God’s authoritative word to us. It was written by human beings under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and provides the true and trustworthy record of God’s revelation of Himself to the world. Without error, it provides the true standard of Christian belief and living. Christians area called to live in obedience to the teachings of Scripture in all areas of life. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ. 

Exodus 24:4; Psalm 19:7-14; Matthew 5:17-18; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15-17

Human Beings

Human beings are created in the image of God and are the crowing work of His creation. Therefore, all people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. However, this divine image is marred by the reality of sin. All people are inclined towards an attitude and a spirit of disobedience and rebellion against God. Therefore, apart from the saving work of Jesus Christ, our relationship with our Father is broken, and we are lost in our sin.

Genesis 1:26-30; Psalm 1; Isaiah 6:5; Romans 1:19-32; Ephesians 2:1-22

Salvation

Salvation is the restoration of the whole person to a relationship with God. It comes solely as a gift of grace made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It can never be earned or achieved through spiritual effort or moral striving. It is a free gift, but it still must be received by turning to Christ in faith.  Those who do are made right with the Father and receive eternal life. There is no other path to salvation than Jesus Christ.

Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 16:21-26; John 3:11-14; Romans 10:9-10; Colossians 1:9-22

The Church

The church is a local body of baptized believers who covenant together in the faith and fellowship of the gospel to worship and fellowship, to live obediently under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and to fulfill his Great Commission.  The church is an autonomous body that operates according to a congregational system of democratic governance and that joins together voluntarily with other associations, networks, denominational bodies, and ministry partners to fulfill her mission. 

Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42; Romans 1:7; Ephesians 2:19-22; Revelation 2-3

Baptism and The Lord’s Supper

The church observes the two New Testament ordinances of baptism and The Lord’s Supper. Baptism symbolizes the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, and is therefore a prerequisite to church membership. Barring physical limitations, baptism is by immersion. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act by which the church memorializes the death of Jesus and anticipates His second coming.

Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Acts 8:34-40; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29

Sexuality and Marriage

God created marriage as a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, and in so doing provided the one and only faithful expression of sexual intimacy. The marriage of a man and a woman is a reflection of Christ’s union with His church, and any sexual activity outside of this covenant relationship is a sinful transgression of God’s revealed purposes.

Genesis 1:26-28; 2:24; Exodus 20:14, 17; Mark 10:1-12; Romans 8:24-27; Ephesians 5:21-33

Gender

God created males and females in His image as two distinct and immutable genders. Our existence as males and females is by his design and not merely a social construct, and any effort to blur this distinction by separating biological sex from gender identity mars his creative and loving purposes. All human beings, both male and female, are created in God’s image and are deserving of full dignity.

Genesis 1:27; Matthew 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-9; 1 Corinthians 11:1-12

Last Things

God, in His own time and way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly to the earth, the dead will be raised, and Christ will judge all people by His righteousness. The unrighteous will spend eternity in Hell, while those who have been made righteous by faith will receive their resurrection bodies and dwell forever with God.

Isaiah 2:4; Matthew 16:27; Mark 13; Philippians 3:17-21; Jude 14; Revelation 3:11-13

Membership

Becoming a Member

How?

You may become a member of Bonsack Baptist Church in one of three ways:

Confession: As a new believer, by confessing your faith in Christ and being baptized by immersion.

Transfer of letter: As a believer coming from a different church, by transferring your membership from your previous church to ours.

Statement: As a believer who has not recently been a member of a church, by stating your previous conversion and baptism by immersion and requesting membership.

If you are coming from a church tradition where you were baptized as an infant, we ask that you be baptized by immersion to join Bonsack Baptist Church. This is not to imply your previous baptism or life in Christ was in any way invalid, but simply to welcome you to our tradition of baptism by immersion. Do you need to “walk the aisle” to become a member? We encourage anyone seeking membership to come to the front at the end of a worship service so that we can recognize and welcome you. However, we understand that can be intimidating to some. Simply notifying a member of the church staff can be a first step toward seeking membership, and we will work with you from there.

Why?

You don’t have to be a member to participate in the life and ministries of Bonsack Baptist Church. In fact, the only things limited to members are voting in business meetings, serving on certain committees, or leading a LIFE group.

Why become a member then? It is your way to intentionally step forward and say, “I want to claim the mission and vision of Bonsack Baptist Church as my own.” Membership is about taking the call Jesus puts on us in His Great Commission and putting it at the center of my life. It’s about being more than a casual observer or even a curious participant, but instead owning the mission and vision of the church in a personal way.

So, if you haven’t done so already, come join us in membership and fully participate in the work of this church!