The core beliefs of the Berean Baptists are defined in the Constitution and Bylaws under the Articles of Faith. There are other core beliefs that are not clearly defined in the Constitution and Bylaws such as the Church Covenant. 

One such belief is Berean’s dispensational view of the Bible as it is unfolded in history.  The major principles that substantiate this view are:  a plain, or normal, interpretation of the Bible; a distinction between Israel and the Church; and a biblical historiography, i.e. God’s goal for history is a literal reign of Christ on earth in the millennial kingdom. Eschatologically, we conclude that the return of Christ for His Church will be pre-tribulational and pre-millennial.

We believe in the eternal security of the believer.  Once the believing sinner has placed his faith in Christ for salvation, he is immediately sanctified, justified, and reconciled to God.  Also, he is sealed by the Holy Spirit until the return of Christ for His Church.

The moment the person trusts Christ for salvation he is placed in the body of Christ and is given a spiritual gift for service, the purpose of which is to edify the body of Christ.  We believe that sign gifts spoken of in the New Testament such as tongues, interpretation of tongues, and healings were used by God in the 1st century to authenticate the apostles’ authority and ministry.  Since that time, the sign gifts have ceased because we now have the completed canon of Scripture whereby we are taught and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Other issues that bear mentioning that can have a profound affect on the congregation are the issues of marriage, divorce, remarriage, and Bible versions.  The scriptures are clear that marriage for life of a man and a woman is God’s perfect design.  Never does God declare divorce to be His will.  Divorce and remarriage is a prevalent fact today that the church has to address.  Divorce is a sin that certainly has far-reaching affects on many people and long-lasting consequences for those that experience divorce.  Reconciliation of the marriage is God’s choice whenever possible.

The scriptures are clear that divorce precludes that a man who divorces and remarries another woman is disqualified to hold the office of the pastor or deacon.  The scriptures are silent about involvement in the church of those who divorce and remarry (not including the role of pastor or deacon).  This silence seems to put the responsibility of discerning these decisions on the church and its leadership.

A divorced and remarried person, upon true repentance and evidence of a renewed walk with the Lord, can be used in the ministry of the church.  Those who have the leadership responsibility must be discerning as to how that divorced person’s role will affect the overall ministry.  So, in some cases, certain ones may be denied service in specific roles.

We use the New King James version in the pulpit, in the classrooms and in our youth ministries.  However, there are many good and accurate translations of the Bible.  There are many in the church that uses other translations.  Our desire is not to create a controversy or a polarization over this issue.  We do want our church family reading and studying the Bible daily.  We expect spiritual growth from the application of the scriptures in our lives, personally and corporately.

Our “mission statement” is: