Kansas City Southern Baptist Beliefs

Our Values

WORSHIP

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Experiencing God in true, passionate worship.

God commands worship. He desires and deserves the devotion of his followers:

Hebrews 12:28b (ESV) – Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Jesus told the Samaritan woman that true worship must include both our affections and our intellects – worshiping “in spirit and truth.”

John 4:23 (ESV) – “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. 24God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Additional
Reflections

“Biblically informed worship, then, will move us emotionally, stirring us to love God with passionate hearts, to pray to Him as we are grieved by our sins or moved by the needs of others or by the greatness of our God. But it will also include instruction from God’s Word – the declaration of truth, and our reception of it with eager minds and compliant wills. Thus, music is always a key component of true worship”

Psalm 100:1 (ESV) – Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing!

Ephesians 5:18b (ESV) – Be filled with the Spirit, 19addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.

Additional
Reflections

"Biblical worship always involves preaching, the proclamation of God’s Word."

2 Timothy 4:2 (ESV) – Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) – For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Additional
Reflections

"When we worship God in this way, something supernatural and utterly holy happens. God’s presence is manifested as His Spirit opens our hearts not only to Him but also to ourselves, showing us who we are in moments of holy self-disclosure. These scriptures are examples of Paul explained this to the Corinthian Christians."

1 Corinthians 14:24 (ESV) – If all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

Additional
Reflections

"These excerpts are examples of what the prophet Isaiah experienced when he had that incredible vision of God."

Isaiah 6:1 (ESV) – n the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”  4And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”  6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”  8And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

Additional
Reflections

In this incredible experience of worship, Isaiah realized his utter sinfulness and need for forgiveness in the presence of his thrice-holy God. He also realized God’s unique will for his own life – to serve as a spokesman on behalf of God, delivering God’s Word to His people. It is only in such moments of true worship that God discloses Himself to us, showing us our need for His cleansing and forgiveness, and bringing utter clarity regarding His will for our lives.

BELONG

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Both in small groups and large gatherings, we believe in finding real life faith in a soul-nourishing, understanding, and multigenerational community.

God has designed each of us for deep and intimate connection with Him and others. We were created for relationship, not isolation. We’re challenged to connect our lives with others in His family.

Matthew 22:36 (ESV)) – “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the great and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Additional
Reflections

"Small groups are where belonging can happen. At Emmanuel Baptist Church, we believe every member needs to be involved in a small group, whether it’s a Sunday School class on Sunday morning or a Life Group at another hour during the week. That’s where we make friendships that will last for a lifetime, and not just with people our own age. Emmanuel must be a place where broken people – and that’s all of us – gather, worship, and open our hearts to God and to one another. Reminding ourselves daily how much we have to rely on Jesus and His grace and one another is a non-negotiable if we’re to be the kind of people Christ wants His church to be. Pretending we’re something that we’re not is hypocrisy, and the world has seen its fill of that, both inside and outside the church."

James 5:16 (ESV) – Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

Colossians 3:12 (ESV) – Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Additional
Reflections

"Each of us needs a place where we can live out these commands: confessing our faults to one another, praying for one another, and doing life together through good times and tough times as well."

1 Thessalonians 2:8 (ESV) – So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

Additional
Reflections

"At Emmanuel Baptist Church, we believe passionately in the value of cross-generational relationships: young adults connecting with senior adults, middle age singles connecting with teens, children connecting with all ages in the church. We profit from the wisdom that older believers have to offer. In a culture in which youth is idolized, we believe the church needs to model respect and love for all ages, both young and old alike."

Proverbs 20:29 (ESV) – The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.

GROW

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Progressing in faith and knowledge.

We understand that we’re broken, desperate, and unworthy, but through the continual grace of God and life-transforming power of the Holy Spirit we’re being restored into Christ’s likeness. God’s exhorts us to grow in our relationship with Him:

2 Peter 3:18 (ESV) – But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:5 (ESV) – Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

Additional
Reflections

"What are the means, the tools God uses to accomplish this in our lives? Well, it happens as we worship Him in spirit and in truth. It happens as we open our lives to God and to one another in small groups. It happens through personal devotions – Bible study and prayer. It happens as we use our spiritual gifts, serving God in the local church. And it especially happens as He challenges our lives in specific areas and we begin to trust and obey Him in ways we never have. As we grow, God enables and empowers us to do good works that bring honor to Him."

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV) – For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

REACH

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Living and giving the message of Christ.

In His sermon on the Mount, Jesus used two metaphors to describe his followers:

Matthew 5:13 (CSB) – “You are the salt of the earth. … 14 You are the light of the world.”

Additional
Reflections

"Salt and light – those same two descriptors still apply today. Christians are to be spiritual salt and light in a bland, dark world. When Jesus used the imagery of salt to describe believers, what was He saying? He was acknowledging that we live in a world made bland by sin, stripped of most of its glory by the Adamic fall. We, however, are to make a difference in our culture: we are not only to preserve spiritual truth and moral goodness, we are also to restore flavor to what can otherwise be a tasteless existence for those without God in their lives. Our tendency, however, is to stay in the saltshaker! In order for salt to be effective it has to penetrate, and that means we have to be willing to be shaken out of the saltshaker of our comfortable Christian lives, spilled out onto and into a world made tasteless by sin. But lest we be intimidated by this, we need to remember that just as it is with salt when it is used as a seasoning, a little bit can go a long way!
Just one Christian in an office environment or a school setting or a neighborhood or a soccer team can bring about incredible change for the good. So let’s be willing to be shaken out of our spiritual lethargy and get involved in the world around us as redeeming change agents. Join the PTA. Start coaching an athletic or dance team. Start a Bible study in your workplace. Run for office. And look for opportunities in everyday life to engage people beyond our church walls with life transforming gospel truth.

The second metaphor Jesus employed to describe his followers was that of light:"

Matthew 5:14 (CSB) – “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

Additional
Reflections

"In making this statement Jesus assumed we understood several basic truths about life and reality:
The world is in spiritual darkness. People without Christ are lost. (John 3:19-20)
People who die without Christ are stepping out into eternity headed toward eternal darkness – a place the Bible calls hell. (Romans 6:23)
Salvation and forgiveness are possible only through repentance and faith in Christ.
(Acts 4:10-12)
The Christian life is all about serving others, not being served yourself. (Mark 10:45)
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:10)
As the Father sent Him, so He sends us. (John 20:21)
It’s not enough just to do nice things for people. We have to verbalize our witness.
It’s through the hearing of the gospel that people come to faith in Jesus Christ. (Romans 10:13-15) This means that we as a congregation of New Testament believers must make it our aim to convert, train, and send out from our doors a generation of light bearers for Jesus: youth, college students, seminarians, missionaries, businessmen and businesswomen. But this will not just happen. God is calling us to a radical discipleship: radical in committing our financial resources to kingdom outreach and enterprises, radical in letting our light shine daily through our personal witness, radical in leveraging all of our congregational resources to prepare a new generation who will be torchbearers and light bringers, taking the gospel into the darkness and dispelling it to the glory of Jesus Christ."

Our Beliefs

The Bible

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The Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God, wholly without error as originally given by God.

The Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God, wholly without error as originally given by God. It alone is sufficient as our only infallible, authoritative rule of faith and practice. We deny that other books are inspired by God in the same way as the Bible.

God

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There is only one triune, true, and living God, who is the creator sustainer and ruler of all things. 

There is only one true and living God, Who is the creator, sustainer, and ruler of all things.  He is infinite, perfect, eternal, and unchangeable. To Him, all creatures owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience.

God is revealed to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; each with distinct personal attributes but without division of nature, essence, or being.

1. God the Father: The Father is the head of the Godhead, and into His hands the kingdom shall be delivered.
2. God the Son: The Son is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament, Jesus Christ, who was born of the virgin Mary, hence the God-Man. He died on the cross to redeem man, rose again from the dead to justify the believer, ascended to the right hand of God where He intercedes for us, and in the Father’s own time will return in visible, personal form to overthrow sin and judge the world.
3. God the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is the one sent from God to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and of judgment; and to regenerate and cleanse from sin. He is the resident guide, teacher, and strengthener of the believer.

Providence

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From eternity God decrees or permits all things that come to pass.

From eternity God decrees or permits all things that come to pass, and He perpetually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and all events; yet so as not in any way to be the author or approver of sin, nor to destroy the free will and responsibility of intelligent creatures.

The Fall of Man

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God originally created man in His own image and free from sin, but he transgressed the command of God and fell from his original holiness and righteousness.

God originally created man in His own image and free from sin, but through the temptation of Satan he transgressed the command of God and fell from his original holiness and righteousness.  As a result, his descendants inherit a nature corrupt and wholly opposed to God and His law, and are under condemnation, having been imputed with the guilt of Adam’s sin. As soon as they are capable of moral action, they become actual transgressors.

Sin & Satan

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Sin is rebellion against God, and the punishment for sin is eternal separation from God.

Satan is a personal devil who with his angels carries on the work of iniquity in this world. Sin is basically rebellion against God, and the punishment for sin is eternal separation from God.

The Mediator

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Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is the divinely appointed mediator between God and man. 

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is the divinely appointed mediator between God and man.  Having taken upon Himself human nature, yet without sin, He perfectly fulfilled the law; and He suffered and died upon the cross for the salvation of sinners.  He was buried and rose again the third day.  He ascended to His Father, at whose right hand He ever lives to make intercession for His people.  He is the only mediator, the prophet, priest and king of the church, and the sovereign of the universe.

Salvation

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There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, Who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer.  In its broadest sense salvation includes election, regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

Election: Election is God’s eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life – not because of foreseen merit in them, but of His sheer mercy in Christ – in consequence of which choice they are called, justified and glorified.

Regeneration: Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby those spiritually dead in their sins become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Justification: Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal of sinners who believe on Christ from the judicial consequences of all sin, and is made possible only through the satisfaction Christ made by His righteous life and atoning death. This justification is not conferred on the basis of anything wrought in them or done by them; but on account of the obedience and satisfaction of Christ. This righteousness is imputed to the believer by grace at the moment of conversion – repentance and initial saving faith, which are themselves inseparable experiences of grace.

Repentance is an act of the will, compelled by the affections of a heart newly awakened to God, in which the sinner is made aware of the evil of his sin, humbles himself in godly sorrow for it, and genuinely turns from sin, purposing to walk before God so as to please Him in all things.

Saving faith is the belief, on God’s authority, of whatever is revealed in His Word concerning Christ: accepting and relying on Him and His righteousness alone for justification and eternal life.  It involves an act of the will, compelled by the affections of a heart newly awakened to God.

Sanctification: Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God’s purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person’s life.

Glorification: Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of believers in Christ.

Perseverance of the Saints

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Those who savingly believe on Christ and are converted will never totally or finally fall away from the state of grace, but will certainly persevere to the end.

Those who savingly believe on Christ and are converted will never totally or finally fall away from the state of grace, but will certainly persevere to the end.  Though they may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, grieving the Holy Spirit, impairing their spiritual graces and comforts, bringing reproach on the name of Christ and bringing divine chastening upon themselves; they shall yet be renewed again unto repentance, and will be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

The Church

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A New Testament church is a voluntary association of baptized believers in Christ who have covenanted together to follow the teachings of the New Testament in doctrine, worship, and practice. 

A New Testament church is a voluntary association of baptized believers in Christ who have covenanted together to follow the teachings of the New Testament in doctrine, worship, and practice.  The two-fold purpose for which Christ founded the church is outlined in the Great Commission: to win the lost to saving faith in Christ, and to enable and encourage Christians to grow in their faith.  The church, therefore, has a responsibility to evangelize its com­munity and the world.

The only two church ordinances are baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  Baptism is a command of the Lord Jesus, and it is the first obligatory act of obedience for a new believer.  Only those who are committed to Jesus Christ as Lord are scriptural subjects for baptism, and immersion in water is the only proper mode of baptism.  Baptism is an outward symbol of the new believer’s identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, as well as of his own death to sin and new life in Christ.  It is a prerequisite to church membership.

The Lord’s Supper is a memorial to the Lord’s death.  The bread symbolizes His body which was given for us.  The wine symbolizes His blood which was shed for us.  It is not in any sense a sacrifice, but is designed to commemorate His death, to confirm the faith and other graces of Christians, and to be a bond, pledge and renewal of their communion with Him and of their church fellowship.

A church is a self-governing organization, under the Lordship of Christ, served by two types of officers: pastors^[2] and deacons.

Evangelism and Missions

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It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every congregation to endeavor to make disciples of all nations.

It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every congregation to endeavor to make disciples of all nations.

The new birth of man’s spirit by God’s Holy Spirit inevitably results in the birth of love for others and a desire that they also might experience life in Christ. Likewise, a zeal for taking Christ’s gospel to the unreached peoples of the world rests upon the biblical premise that those without faith in Christ will spend eternity separated from God in hell.  Finally, the mandate to take the gospel to all the world is expressly and repeatedly commanded in the teachings of Christ. Thus, it is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ.

Cooperation

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Christ’s people should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the great objectives of the Kingdom of God.

Christ’s people should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the great objectives of the Kingdom of God. Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches. They are voluntary and advisory bodies designed to elicit, combine, and direct the energies of our people in the most effective manner. Members of New Testament churches should cooperate with one another in carrying forward the missionary, educational, and benevolent ministries for the extension of Christ’s Kingdom. Christian unity in the New Testament sense is spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for common ends by various groups of Christ’s people. Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations, when the end to be attained is itself justified, and when such cooperation involves no violation of conscience or compromise of loyalty to Christ and His Word as revealed in the New Testament.

The Family

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God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.

Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.

The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people.  A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family.  A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.

Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.

Civil Government

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Civil government is ordained by God for the ordering of society. Christians are to respect and obey those in civil authority over them unless they are commanded to disobey God’s commandments.

Civil government is ordained by God for the ordering of society.  Christians are to respect and obey those in civil authority over them unless they are commanded to disobey God’s commandments.  The New Testament envisions a separation between church and state, yet with the understanding that the church should serve as the conscience and moral voice of the nation and community, complementing the civil government as it seeks to govern its subjects righteously, protecting the doer of good and punishing the doer of evil.

Last Things

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After death, the bodies of those who die return to dust, but their spirits return immediately to God – the righteous to rest with Him, the wicked to be reserved under darkness to the judgment.

After death, the bodies of those who die return to dust, but their spirits return immediately to God – the righteous to rest with Him, the wicked to be reserved under darkness to the judgment.

In God’s own time and in His own way, God will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth.  The dead will be raised, and Christ will judge all men in righteousness.  The unrighteous will be consigned to the lake of fire, a place of everlasting punishment.  The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.^[3]

^[1] This statement of faith draws from the following confessions: The Second London Confession of 1689, The Abstract of Principles (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s doctrinal statement), and The Baptist Faith and Message 2000.

^[2] Pastors are also referred to in the New Testament as “elders” and “overseers.”

^[3] For more information and detail regarding the beliefs of Emmanuel Baptist Church, you may consult The Baptist Faith and Message 2000(http://www.sbc.net/bfm2000/bfm2000.asp), The Abstract of Principles (http://founders.org/fj01/the-abstract-of-principles/), and The Second London Confession of Faith (http://founders.org/library/bcf/confession).