239 West Main Street Norwich, Connecticut 06360
Phone: 860-889-0369
E-mail: fbcnorwich@gmail.com
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The Baptist Churches across America today have a long and rich history in our country.
We are a part of the American Baptist Family
With 1.5 million members in 5,800 churches across the country, American Baptists are the smallest
of the many branches of the Baptist denomination in the United States. There are approximately
5,000 American Baptist clergy in the U.S., six percent of whom are women. The average American
Baptist congregation is small—only 200 people. The First Baptist Church of Norwich has an
average worship attendance of 115 people each week and a membership just over 200.
We also affiliate with the American Baptist Churches of Connecticut in order to do cooperative
ministry within our own state of Connecticut
What do American Baptists believe?
Foremost among beliefs firmly held by American Baptists is the acknowledgment that Jesus Christ
is our Redeemer and our Lord, and that through belief in Him we are assured of eternal fellowship
with a loving God. For us, the foundation of Christian belief-- and the greatest event in all
history-- is the drama of the first Easter week: the death of Christ, in which He took upon Himself
all the sins of the world, and the Resurrection, which offers glorious proof of His teaching and His
triumph over sin and death.
Holy Scripture always has been for us the most authoritative guide to knowing and serving the
triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer). As the divinely-inspired
word of God, the Bible for us reveals our faith and its mandated practice.
Our affirmation of the priesthood of all believers arises from a conviction that all who truly seek
God are competent to approach God directly. We cherish the freedom Christ has granted us as
individual believers and distinctive congregations. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the church in
Galatia and in other writings, emphasizes that freedom. Because of that, we have tended to avoid
embracing prepared creeds or other statements that might compromise our obligation to interpret
Scripture as individuals within the community of faith under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Cherishing our own God-given gift of freedom has motivated us to support religious freedom for
all to seek God's will. Although this has allowed for distinctive opinions within our
congregations both on aspects of our faith and their application within society, most of us would
admit that dialog is a healthy means of spiritual growth. As it encourages its members to seek
continually the mind of Christ in all matters, American Baptist Churches USA respects the variety
of theological understandings that its members, and other Christians, have embraced.
American Baptists partake of two ordinances exemplifying obedience to our Lord's commands:
believers' baptism and the Lord's Supper. We insist that baptism be administered only to those
who have the maturity to understand its profound significance: resurrection to new life in Christ.
And we follow the biblical example set by Christ when we fully immerse in water, a beautiful
symbolic statement of that new life. The Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion, commemorates the
sacrifice of our Lord. The bread and cup that symbolize the broken body and shed blood offered by
Christ remind us today of God's great love for us-- just as they did for the disciples 2,000 years ago
on the eve of the crucifixion
We have taken to heart the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19--the call to evangelism: "Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you"
(NRSV). Since 1814, American Baptist churches and the mission societies they created have been
committed to mission: to see the glory of God revealed in all the earth; to see Jesus Christ
proclaimed as Savior and Lord to all people and nations; to see churches started and growing; to
see the renewal of God's creation; and to see God's justice and peace reign in all the world.
We take seriously all that Christ did during His brief but momentous years of teaching and
nurturing disciples and followers. We accept the ministries Christ modeled as our ministries. In
sincere imitation of our Savior's work, we have attempted to be holistic. Understanding God's
word as revealed in Scripture is of great importance to us, and our churches have emphasized
learning and teaching as vital responsibilities. And because Christ ministered to the physical needs
of persons and acted as an advocate for those who had been mistreated, we hold that seeking
justice is an important component of ministry. We accept the wisdom of the New Testament writer
James, who maintained that those who truly have faith in Christ necessarily live out that faith
expressing compassion for others for whom He died.
We celebrate the special gifts of all believers, testifying that God can use each of us in the overall
outreach of ministry. Paul states that "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers" all
work for "building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11,12). The affirmation of lay leaders as
integral to church vitality and the ordination of women, practiced in our denomination for more
than a century, underscore the belief that many have been called by God to serve.
How are American Baptists different?
We are ecumenical, as we tend to support and encourage unity among the various divisions of the
Christian religion.
We are very active in social justice issues.
We work at indigenous control of mission—a hands-on local approach—rather than a central
hierarchy of missionaries.
We are more moderate in interpretation of scripture. What does this mean? It means the Bible is
central to our faith and practice. We take the Bible very seriously as a revelation of God's truth.
We believe that the Bible is inspired by God. As we study the scripture, we seek the Holy Spirit's
guidance in interpreting its meaning.
How do American Baptists approach the world?
To some, the word Baptist symbolizes a set of narrow, judgmental and rigid beliefs. However,
American Baptists stand for moderation, inclusiveness and a pioneering spirit. We celebrate a rich
history of ground breaking work in support of:
* overseas ministries
* evangelizing the American frontier
* Christian higher education and campus chaplaincy programs
* education for African Americans
* Christian education in the church setting
* women in ministry
* ethnic evangelism, urban ministry, advocacy and Christian social concerns
* ecumenical relationships
* religious liberty and issues of human conscience.