The First Baptist Church of Wollaston
81 Prospect Ave, Quincy Ma.
Worship Service Sunday at 10:30am

What Makes Baptists Unique
We are like other Christians following Jesus as Lord and Savior. We
are
different in some of the ways we do things and what we consider
important.
- Believer's Baptism is
probably what makes us most different from other
Christians. We do not baptize infants who do not understand what it
means. Baptism
is for believers who wish publicly to declare their new life in Christ.
Total
immersion is a symbol of death to the old self and being born again
into the
Spirit of God.
- Religious Freedom is the
basis for believer's baptism. Since baptism is for
believers only, then each person needs to have the freedom to make that
decision
or not. People cannot be forced to believe anything that they do not
believe is
true. Nor do we believe that people should be forced to belong to any
church.
Faith is a personal matter and needs to be left to each individual to
decide for
oneself. This is a privilege, but also a great responsibility for each
believer,
for each needs to read the Bible, study and question, develop one's own
faith,
and find ways to live it out in the world.
- Personal Faith is very
important for Baptists. We don't believe in joining the
church because you are expected to. Church membership is the sign of a
very
personal relationship with Jesus. He is very important in our lives. We
talk with Him. We listen to Him. We look to Him for direction and
guidance.
Prayer is vital for Baptists. This is sometimes called "the priesthood
of
all believers"-- each believer develops a personal relationship
directly
with God through Jesus Christ. There is no need for another
intermediary (like
saints or priests) to have a relationship with God.
- Self-governing Congregations
are very different from many other Christian
churches, which are far more organized and structured than ours.
Because of each
member's personal faith, our congregations tend to function more like
democracies. Each member's say is very important to the whole. We do
not believe
that the hierarchical authorities are any closer to God. Each
congregation
manages its own affairs without outside interference from other
churches or the
government. We do,
however, believe that by associating with other Baptist churches that
we are
stronger for missions and Christian witness. Baptist churches typically
associate with others in their geographic area. Our denomination is
built from
the "ground up"; there is no imposing "top down" hierarchy.
The name of the denomination is even plural: The American Baptist
Churches USA
and The American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts.
- Separation of Church and State
is a natural consequence of our belief in
religious freedom for individuals. We believe the church and the
affairs of God
should have no interference from the government. No matter what form of
government-- democracy, monarchy, or socialist state-- we do not
believe that
governments have any right to speak for God. This also means that the
church
should not expect to receive any special favors from the government.
- Authority of the Bible.
Everyone needs a final court of appeal. On our country,
it is the Constitution. In some churches, it is what the church says.
For
Baptists, it is the Bible we turn to as our ultimate set of guidelines.
What the
Bible says is more important to us as Baptists than social customs,
traditions,
or even what others might say. Because the Bible is so central, reading
it and
studying it are important privileges for Baptists.
- Ministry of the Laity. We
are all responsible for carrying out Christ's ministry
in the world. We cannot leave this to the church alone. We all have
been given
special gifts that we can use in our daily work and lives to bear
witness to our
faith and to the Kingdom of God. We believe that all baptized believers
are
ministers. A minister is a person who works in someone else's name. The
ministers of our church are not just the ordained people who lead, but
are all
people who work in all areas of today's world in the name of Jesus
Christ.
- The Lord's Supper, like
baptism, is done in obedience to our Lord's command:
'This do in remembrance of Me." This is why we call it an ordinance,
not a
sacrament. It is a simple observance in our church where we all
participate in
eating the bread and drinking the cap. Christ is present, not in the
bread nor
the cup, but in our memory as we recreate that moment in His life. We
celebrate the Lord's Supper, or Communion, during worship on the first
Sunday of
each month
- Missions are important
in the work of Baptists. We take seriously the command of
Jesus: "Go to all people everywhere and make them My disciples,
baptizing
them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and teach them to
obey
everything I have commanded you." There are Baptist missionaries in our
own
country and in many other countries of the world. They serve the whole
person by
preaching, healing, seeking justice, teaching, training; they also
train
in-country staff to carry on the work. We are also
involved in local missions by supporting the local shelter and other
community
organizations that are providing services to those less fortunate,
collecting
food items for the local food pantry, making and distributing items for
our
shut-ins, supporting the chaplaincy program at the local hospital.
- Ecumenical Cooperation
has long been a Baptist belief. The Baptists were
co-founders of the National Council of Churches and the World Council
of
Churches, because we believe that all Christian churches have the
responsibility
to work together in our world.

A
member of the
American Baptist
Churches USA and
TABCOM (the American Baptist Churches of
Massachusetts)