You can listen to the worship service at Sermon Audio.
We are Christian
We are, first and foremost, followers of Jesus Christ. As the English Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, "I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist. I do not hesitate to take the name of Baptist, but if I am asked what is my creed, I reply, 'It is Jesus Christ.'" We are also members of the universal church. The universal church is comprised of every man, woman, and child who has ever trusted in Christ for salvation. Therefore, along with Christians of all kinds, we hold to the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, and the Chalcedonian Definition.
We are Reformed
We trace our roots back to the Protestant Reformation and, in particular, the Particular (Calvinistic) Baptists of the 17th century. We therefore, subscribe to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, the Five Solas of the Reformation, and the Regulative Principle of Worship.
We are Baptist
We believe that scripture teaches that only believers are members of the New Covenant in Christ's blood. Therefore, baptism is only for those who have repented of their sins and professed faith in the Lord Jesus. Baptism is properly administered by immersion. Furthermore, we believe in congregational church polity, which means that the highest church authority is the assembly of believers in the local church. It is the congregation that ultimately holds "the keys of the kingdom" (Matthew 16:19).
We are Disciple-Makers
We strive to "present everyone mature in Christ" (Colossians 1:28) through teaching, counseling, and discipleship. We believe that the majority of discipleship in the church happens through the ordinary means of grace on the Lord's Day; however, we also seek make disciples throughout the week, either in small groups, Bible studies, biblical counseling, or simple, organic one-on-one relationships.
We are Evangelistic
We desire to fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus - to make disciples of all nations and to be a light to all those around us. In America, a common cause of church growth is what is called "transfer growth," in which existing Christians leave their current church to join a new one. Transfer growth is not at all a bad thing; however, we must remember that a growth in membership does not necessarily mean that a church is reaching the lost with the gospel. Therefore, at Sovereign Joy, we welcome existing Christians into our fellowship, but we also seek to intentionally reach the lost in our community through evangelism.
