church logo Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church
High Street, Chipping Sodbury, BS37 6AH.   Tel: 01454 313023
Our Values Our Vision Who's Who Location Mission History
Some of the church families

Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church

Our Mission Statement

To know God and be the people of God in our communities

OUR VISION & PURPOSE

The purpose of the church is based on two key Scriptures:

The Great Commandment - "Jesus said, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it; 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. " Matthew 22 w 36 - 40.

The Great Commission - "Jesus said, '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 I have commanded you.'" Matthew 28 w 19 - 20.

Within these two statements we find the five main purposes of any church, including our own.

  • To "Love God with all your heart" is "WORSHIP."
  • To "Love your neighbour as yourself is "SERVING."
  • To "Go...make disciples" is "MISSION."
  • To "Baptise..." is to "INCORPORATE INTO FELLOWSHIP"
  • To "Teach them to obey all "is "DISCIPLESHIP."

The Purposes of the church can also be found in other scriptures such as Acts 2:42-47

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. "

No. The Greats Priorities Task Acts 2:42-47 Objectives
1 Love the Lord Worship Exalt B of B, prayer, Praising God Magnify
2 Love your neighbour Serving Equip Gave to anyone Ministry
3 Go and make disciples Witnessing Mission Evangelise The Lord added daily Mission
4 Baptising them in the name of. . . Fellowship (Caring) Encourage & Care Fellowship, ate together Membership
5 Teaching them to obey. . . Discipleship (Learning) Edify Apostles teaching Maturity

THE CHURCH'S FIVE PURPOSES

WORSHIP (Magnifying)

To "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" and enable the Church to worship in a variety of ways both corporately and individually

SERVING (Ministry)

To enable every person to discover their personal God given shape and gifts so that they might serve God both in the church, the local community and beyond.

CARING (Membership)

To have all within the Church recognise that they belong to each other in Christian fellowship and have a responsibility to both care for others and to work for social justice locally, nationally and internationally

LEARNING (Maturity)

To enable and encourage each other to grow on in our spiritual lives through teaching and other ways, so that we will be effective in living out our beliefs in a credible & authentic way.

WITNESSING (Mission)

Through example, friendship and testimony to witness, so that people may develop a personal relationship with God thus enabling the church to grow spiritually and numerically locally, nationally and internationally

Part of our Strategy for fulfilling these purposes is our series of classes:

  • "Entering the Family"      (Membership)
  • "Growing in the family"         (Maturity)
  • "Serving in the Family"      (Ministry)
  • "Extending the Family"      (Mission)
  • "Worshipping as a Family"    (Magnifying)

In order that the Five Purposes of the church be fulfilled, there needs to be a strategy to achieve them. These can be summarised in an acrostic of the name of the place where our church is set. We call this THE S.O.D.B.U.R.Y. STRATEGY, and we believe that these seven principles help to make our church family effective and special.

S
 mall Groups Acts 5:42
O
 utward Looking   John 4:35
D
 evoted Discipleship  Acts 2:42
B
 elonging to Christ and Each Other Rom 1:6,7:8,14:6, Gal 6:10,1 Jn 3:18-19
U
 nited in Service Ephesians 4:11,12
R
 elevant Worship, Prayer and Preaching    John 4:23, Col 4:2-3,1 John 2:5
Y
 oung Families, Youth and Seniors Mark 10:13-16, James 1:27, Lev 19:32

 

             

VALUES

WE ARE COMMITTED TO HOLDING CHRISTLIKE VALUES AND LETTING GOD'S LOVE FOR US INFORM AND SHAPE OUR RELATIONSHIPS

12 biblical core values to aid us in achieving our strategy. These values are vital as they communicate what we hold as important to us. They shape the ministry and direction of the church and they guide our vision.

  1. We believe that every follower of Christ should seek to maintain a corporate and personal prayer life. (Mark 1:35,1 Timothy 2:1-4,1 Thessalonians 5:17)
  2. We believe that it is through anointed teaching that individuals' lives and the church are transformed. (Romans 12:7, 2 Timothy 3:16 & 17, James 1:23-25)
  3. We believe that non-believers matter to God, and therefore ought to matter to the church. (Luke 5:30-32, Luke 15, Matthew 18:14)
  4. We believe that the church should be relevant to modern society whilst remaining doctrinally pure. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
  5. We believe that Christians should be real with people, and should personally seek growth and maturity. (Ephesians 4:25 & 32, Hebrews 12:1, Philippians 1:6)
  6. We believe the church should be a unified community of servants relying on their spiritual gifting. (1 Corinthians 12 & 14, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, Ps 133:1)
  7. We believe that loving relationships should permeate every area of church life.(1 Corinthians 13, Nehemiah 3, Luke 10:1, John 13:34-35)
  8. We believe that small groups aid personal growth. (Luke 6:12-13, Acts 2:44-47)
  9. We believe that excellence honours God and inspires people.(Colossians 3:17, Malachi 1:6-14, Proverbs 27:17)
  10. We believe that those to whom God has given leadership gifts should lead churches.(Nehemiah 1 & 2, Romans 12:8, Acts 6:2-5)
  11. We believe that every believer should be fully devoted to Christ and His cause. (1 Kings 11:4, Philippians 2:1-11, 2 Corinthians 8:7)
  12. We believe that God has given us stewardship of His creation and we are called to care for the environment and promote love and justice in the world. (Genesis 1:26-30, Micah 6:8)