Mission, Vision, & Values

Who We Are

At Ridgeland Drive Baptist Church our mission statement is “Sharing God’s Love.” We believe Jesus makes it clear that God loves everyone — the whole world and each person in it. All people deserve our respect and love. Consequently, we lovingly welcome everyone and we are committed to serving our neighbors, community, and world.

Our vision is to be a welcoming family of faith, with Jesus as our example, discipleship our goal, and love our action. Our hearts and arms are open to everyone to be and become all that God made them to be.

What We Value

As a family of faith, we believe that our task is to bring people and God together in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord through worship, fellowship, and missions.

God-centered worship is a primary focus for us. We must first reach up to God before we can reach out to others.

Fellowship nurtures our faith and supports our personal journeys of faith. We must reach in to one another before we reach out to others.

Through missions we respond to God's call to local and worldwide spiritual and physical needs. We believe we can help meet these needs in the name of Christ by offering our time, talents, and resources. Reaching out to others is being obedient to God's command.

Statement Of Faith

Ridgeland Drive Baptist Church affirms the 1963 Baptist Faith & Message. You can read the entire document here. However, portions are summarized below.

We believe in the Lordship of Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins and by believing in Him we are redeemed. Salvation is the gift of God's grace and is freely bestowed upon all who put their faith in Him. Those who place their trust in Christ and confess their sins are forgiven and are born into the family of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. By taking the form of a servant, Christ has forever established our model for leadership, ministry and service. Our common desire is to reflect our Lord daily in all that we do.

"But made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." Philippians 2:7 (NIV)

We believe in the Centrality and Authority of Scripture

We affirm the authority of the Bible and believe it, as God's inspired word, to be central in the life of the individual and the church. We also hold dear to the belief that Christians, with the best and most scholarly tools of inquiry, are both free and obligated to study and obey the Scriptures; and that each of us is free to interpret the Bible under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

We believe in Individual Freed

We affirm the right and responsibility of every person to relate to God without the imposition of creed, the interference of clergy, or the intervention of civil government. We believe in "soul competency," each person standing individually before God. We believe each person is free before God, having the privilege and responsibility to interpret the Scriptures. The idea of soul freedom, with its emphasis on the personal voluntary nature of faith, led Baptists to adopt baptism for believers.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

We believe in the Autonomy of the Local Church

We are a free, autonomous church, under the Lordship of Christ. We determine our membership, leadership, and our worship order, ordain whomever we perceive as gifted for ministry, male or female, and participate in the larger body of Christ, of whose unity and mission Baptists are proudly a part. Our form of government is called "congregational," meaning our church has the right to run its own affairs under the Lordship of Christ. We are democratic in that our policy is based in the equality of all believers. We also believe in the separation of church and state, and that people should be able to practice faith without coercion or constraint.

"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20 (NIV)

We believe in Inclusivity…

We willingly share and accept the opinions of every member as one is led by the Holy Spirit. We value every member as we seek God's truth together. We affirm and celebrate our diversity as a gift of God, including but not limited to race, ethnic background, economic status, or gender. We celebrate individual uniqueness and diversity as each member seeks to be obedient to the call of God in his or her life. We strongly believe that neither race, ethnic background nor gender should limit one's leadership opportunity or ministerial calling.

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28 (NIV)