About Us

Rose City Baptist Church is an independent Baptist Church.

"Independent"
 

When we say we are an “independent” Baptist Church it is because we are not under the auspices of any denominational board.

Rose City Baptist Church is an autonomous, self-governing church that strives to pattern itself after the example of Jesus as found in the Bible.

We are not isolationists or hermits content to live in our own little corner of the woods. Rather, our goal is to be as involved with our community as possible.

"Baptist"

It is because of our desire to follow the pattern of the Bible that we are a “Baptist” church. In other words, we are a Baptist church because of what we believe.

Since the beginning of Christ’s command to his disciples to go into the entire world and preach the Gospel, there have been groups of believers, albeit small groups, who have desired to wholeheartedly and unwaveringly, follow the Bible.

Groups such as the:

Monatist (Mysia, N W Asia Minor) circa 150 AD

Novations (Rome) circa 250 AD

Donatist (Carthage) circa 311 AD

Paterines (Northern Italy) circa 945 AD

Waldensians (Lyons, France) circa 1150 AD

Anna Baptists (Western Europe) circa 1525 AD

These groups were not perfect, and they certainly had their idiosyncrasies, but they sought to be governed, that is, to be led by the Scriptures alone.

The term “Baptist” is an abbreviation of the title once held by one of these groups striving to follow the Bible.

Five hundred years ago there was a group of people, primarily from Western Europe, referred to as “Anna-Baptists.”

They were called this because they did not believe in the baptism of babies. The “Anna-Baptists” stood firm in their belief that the Bible did not teach the practice of infant baptism and rather that baptism was a special observance reserved only for those who had trusted Jesus Christ as their personal Savoir. They also held to the belief that baptism was not a saving ordinance, but rather a picture of what Jesus did.

Infant baptism was not the only difference between the Anna-Baptists and the other churches of their day. The Anna-Baptists also believed in the supremacy of the Scriptures. Meaning, they believed that we are to pattern our lives, and formulate our beliefs based on what God’s Word says, and not on man’s opinion or on tradition.

Another distinction of the Anna-Baptists was their belief about the relationship between people and God. The Anna-Baptists, and other groups like them, believed that the Bible taught that people could and must approach God one on one. They rejected the notion of priests being the mediator between God and man. The reason they believed this was because the Bible clearly teaches that there is one mediator between God and man, Jesus.

If you are unfamiliar with the specific beliefs that Baptist churches have historically held, I encourage you to take a few moments to look at the “What we believe section” of our website. Also, please feel free to call Pastor Jason Terrian and ask him any question you may have. Pastor Jason Terrian’s phone number (860) 367-4517

During the 500 years between the 1500’s and today the title “Anna-Baptist” was shortened. The “Anna” was dropped and the churches that continued to hold to these particular beliefs were simply referred to as “Baptist”.

It is very important to understand that there are many, many, many varieties of Baptist churches. Most continue to stand behind the beliefs that made their predecessors distinct from other churches.

Unfortunately, there are some groups who go by the name “Baptist” that have missed the mark. They have some of the distinct beliefs and practices, but they couple these with extra-biblical beliefs. In other words, they are Baptist in name but not in practice. 

The Desire of Rose City Baptist Church

The following sums up how we as a particular church desire to live.

Having been led, as we believe by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we do now in the presence of God and this church most solemnly and joyfully enter into this Covenant with one another as one body in Christ. We engage therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit:

To walk together in Christian love;

To exercise Christian care and watchfulness over one another;

To pray with and for one another, sharing our burdens, sorrows, and joys;

To be thoughtful and courteous to one another, to be slow to take offense, and to be quick to forgive and to seek forgiveness;

To guard the spiritual and Scriptural purity, peace, prosperity of the Church, and to promote its usefulness as a witness to the saving grace of God and Christ Jesus;

To assist, through the gifts of the Spirit, in the work of the Church and to promote its usefulness as a witness to the saving grace of God and Christ Jesus;

To contribute, as the Lord directs, to the financial support of the Church, the relief of the needy, and evangelism of all people;

To love and to pray for all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ;

To engage regularly in personal Bible reading and prayer, and to establish family devotions where possible;

To bring up such children as may be entrusted to our care in the nurture and admonition of the Lord;

To walk circumspectly in the world, to provide things honest in the sight of all men, to be faithful in engagements, exemplary in deportment, denying ungodliness and worldly lust;

To endeavor by example, by work, and by prayer, to win others to an acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord;

To purpose that when we remove ourselves from this place, we will as soon as possible, unite with some other church, where we can carry out the spirit of this Covenant and the principles of God's word.

Our Motto and Goal
 

We, as members of Rose City Baptist Church, are not perfect and we make mistakes, but we strive, by God’s grace, to live a life that is pleasing to Him. It is because of this that we have adopted the motto: “The whole of life for the cause of Christ.”

Our goal is to in every area of our life please Jesus. We do not want to be hypocritical or legalist. Instead we want to live up to the name “Christian” by truly living “Like Christ”.