What we Believe
As Baptists, we affirm that each believer has freedom and responsibility before God to seek the truth. We know that there are many points of belief and practice on which we may differ. However, the following statement of faith summarizes our core shared convictions.
We accept the Scriptures as our only authority in matters of faith and practice and our understanding of the Bible leads us inexorably to believe:
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, consisting of sixty-six (66) books, are verbally inspired by God and inerrant and infallible in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority. (Matthew 5:18; John 10:35; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21)
There is one God eternally existing in three (3) co-equal persons, the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:6; Matthew 28:18-19; II Corinthians 13:14)
Jesus Christ was begotten by God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. (Matthew 1:20-25; John 1:1-2, 14, 18)
The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. He is in the life of the believer and He empowers the preaching and teaching of the Gospel. (John 14:16-26; 15:26; 16:8-14; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 2:12; Ephesians 1:13)
Mankind was created in the image of God, sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death, but spiritual death, which is separation from God; as such, human beings are born with a sinful nature. (Genesis 1:26-28; 3:1-24; 9:6; Romans 5:12; James 3:9)
The Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins as our substitutionary sacrifice, was resurrected and ascended into heaven where He serves as our high priest and advocate. Thus all who place their faith in Him are justified on the basis of His shed blood. All who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again by the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God and heirs of eternal life. (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 1:4 3:23-26, 5:1; 6:1-11; 8:29-34; I Corinthians 15:12-19; II Corinthians 5:15, 21; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 10:14-23)
Upon His personal, glorious and bodily return, our Lord Jesus Christ will exercise His role as final judge. We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the just and the unjust—the unjust to judgment and eternal conscious punishment in hell, and the just to dwell eternally in heaven. (Matthew 25:34, 41, 46; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 20:10-15)
The ordinances of the Church, given by the Lord, are believers’ baptism by immersion and communion. These are outward expressions of our faith and obedience to Christ. Thus, we believe scriptural baptism is the immersion of the believers’ body in water thereby symbolizing the fact of their identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. (Matthew 28:19, 20; Romans 6:1-11; I Corinthians 11:23-32)
Denomination
Georgia Plain Baptist Church is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches of Vermont and New Hampshire and with American Baptist Churches USA.
"The American Baptist Churches of Vermont and New Hampshire is a Christ-centered regional ministry in a covenant relationship with The American Baptist Churches USA. Affirming the authority of the Word of God, being empowered by the Holy Spirit and recognizing our diversity, we seek to equip individuals and congregations to become instruments through whom the Spirit can move, transforming the Church into the image of Jesus Christ, that we might better fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations."
history
On July 4th, 1792 the first Baptist meeting was held in Georgia at the house of Abraham Hathaway. The house was located south of Georgia Center. The attendees (13 men and 4 women) wrote the articles of faith and rules of order on July 12, 1792, with the articles of faith being formally adopted on August 23 of that year.
On October 21, 1793, the Baptist Church in Georgia, Vermont was formally organized at the home of Benjamin Holmes.
Roswell Mears became the first Pastor in 1807 and the original church building was constructed in Georgia Plains in 1847. The building was destroyed by a fire in 1886 and reconstructed the next year. This building continues to be the home of the Georgia Plain Baptist Church today. The mission of GPBC is to
“Know Christ and Make Christ Known.”