The Mission of Berean Baptist Church of Wichita is simply this:

“To be a place of rest and refuge, while taking the Gospel to the world.”

This sums it all up! God has placed us here to provide to you a place where you can hide for a little while each week from the cares of this world and the affairs of this life and find like-minded, God-loving people who will extend our fellowship to you and include you into our journey to heaven.

The vision of Berean Baptist Church of Wichita is not to become a social institution, a political organization or an entertainment facility to please the masses. The “Great Commission” is the center of our church's obligation, mandate and mission in this world. Matthew recorded our Lord saying: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

So, the primary vision of our church is to preach the gospel, because the Church is God’s agency to evangelize the world. This is our paramount objective.

But you will notice another piece of the vision of the church in the last part of that great commission. Christ said, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Teaching them who? Teaching those who are baptized, teaching the saved, teaching them to observe all things the Saviour commanded. Thus, Jesus named another mission of the church. When the church has made disciples, then it is our mission and vision to teach them what Jesus wants them to know. It is not enough to teach them the first principles and then leave them to their own devices – they must be taught to observe all things that Jesus commanded. Therefore, teaching the saved is necessary.

When sinners hear the call of the gospel and become Christians, they do so by faith, but there is something else to be added. Peter said, “And beside this, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity” (II Peter 1:5-7).

One of the principal things to be added to the life of a Christian is knowledge. That was essentially what the Apostle Paul was talking about when he spoke of “putting on the whole armor of God.” He said: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” (Ephesians 6:14-18).

All these pieces of armor are simply references to the Word of God. Many Christians are bareheaded and barefooted, so to speak, facing the enemy without defenses because they have no knowledge of the Word of God. We believe it is both, the duty and the mission of our church’s preachers, teachers, and elders to teach the Word of God, and feed the flock. In Acts 20:28, the Ephesian elders were told: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

It is also the vision of Berean Baptist Church of Wichita to provide the kind of place where spiritual life can flourish. The meetings of the Church should be the kind of meetings where the spiritual man, the inner man, can be renewed. The services should be orderly and worshipful. The meetings should not be held and conducted with the end in view of simply attracting a great crowd and catering to the wishes and wants of worldly people. It is a great mistake for people to feel that they must put on a show to attract a crowd.

This does not mean that our services are staid and stoic venues of boredom. By no means!! It does mean that we want to reproduce the character of Christ in all who attend. The objective of every service is to produce the likeness of Christ in the lives of our members. We believe it is our mission to have the humility that Jesus manifested while on earth and to have the burning zeal and love for men’s souls that Jesus had? We want to be able to turn the other cheek and go the second mile as Jesus did, and as Jesus taught that we should do. We stand for the things that Jesus taught. As the Holy Spirit commanded us in the Apostle Paul’s writings: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). That is the vision and purpose of all our worship and work – to reproduce in our own lives the character of Jesus Christ. Not politics, or social programs, but rather preaching the gospel, teaching the saved, providing a place where Christians can grow and flourish, reproducing the character of Jesus, and bringing true joy and happiness to mankind.

What you believe determines how you behave. It’s what makes you WHO you are and determines WHAT you do. This Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the following Statement of Faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all our members and ministries.

Articles of Faith

1. We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be Divinely inspired by God and inerrant and infallible in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life. We believe that this Word of God has been perfectly preserved in The King James 1611 Translation and shall be the only Bible used by the church or any of its ministries. (Matt. 4:4; Rom. 15:4; I Cor. 2:13; 10:11; II Tim. 3:16,17; II Pet. 1:21)

2. We believe in one God who is Creator of heaven and earth; who is Spirit, light, love, truth, eternal, almighty, infallible, unchangeable, infinitely wise, just, holy; and that God eternally exists as the Trinity in Three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Gen. 1:1; Ex. 20:2,3; I Cor. 8:6; Rev. 4:11; John 10:30; II Cor. 13:14)

3. We believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, the Eternal Word manifested in flesh. We believe that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and that He is both the Son of God and God the Son. (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:30-35; John 1:1,2,14,18; 3:16; Phil. 2:5-8)

4. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. (John 1:29; Rom. 3:25, 26; II Cor. 5:14; Heb. 10:5-19; I Peter 2:24; 3:18; I John 1:7)

5. We believe that our Lord arose from the dead, according to the Scriptures, and in the same body, though glorified, in which He had lived and died, and that His resurrection body is the pattern of that body which, at the return of Christ, will be given to all resurrected believers. (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:20; Acts 2:32; I Cor. 15:23, 42-45: Phil. 3:20, 21)

6. We believe that our Lord ascended to heaven, is seated at His Father’s right hand assuring us of the perfection of His work of redemption, and that He now as Head over all things to the Church is engaged on behalf of the saved as Intercessor and Advocate. (Heb. 1:3,13; Eph. 1:22,23; Heb. 7:25; I John 2:1)

7. We believe in our Lord’s personal, imminent and pre-millennial return for his redeemed ones followed by His coming in glory to judge the rebellious and to establish His millennial reign on earth. (John 14:1-3; I Cor. 15:51,52; Phil. 3:20: I Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:11-14; II Thess. 2:7-10; Matt. 24:29-31; Zech. 14:4-11)

8. We believe that man was originally created in the image and after the likeness of God; that he fell through sin; that he, as a consequence of His sin, lost his spiritual life, becoming dead in trespasses and sins, and that he became subject to the power of the devil. We also believe that this spiritual death, or total depravity of human nature, has been transmitted to the entire human race of man, the Man Christ Jesus alone being excepted; and, hence, that every child of Adam is born into the world with a nature which not only possesses no spark of divine life, but is essentially corrupt in body, mind, and soul. (Gen. 1:26; 2:17; 6:5; Ps. 14:1-3; 51:5; Jer. 17:9; John 3:6; 5:40; 6:53; Rom. 3:10-19; 8:6,7; Eph. 2:1-3; I Tim. 5:6; I John 3:8)

9. We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior are instantaneously born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become the children of God. (John 1:12, 13; 3:3-8, 16; 5:24; Rom. 10:9,10; 8:16; Acts 16:31)

10. We believe that the Holy Spirit, being the third Person of the Godhead, convicts men of sin, regenerates, indwells, baptizes, seals, and sets believers apart to a holy life; and that He keeps and empowers believers day by day. We believe that He is the Teacher of the Word of God and our Guide for daily life. (John 16:7-11; 3:6; 14:17; I Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 12:13; Eph. 1:13; 4:30; I John 2:20-27; I Peter 1:1; Rom. 8:9,2,4,12,14)

11. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry (Rom. 12:3-8; I Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12). We believe that the signs of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (I Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22)

12. We believe in the eternal security and everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the eternal conscious punishment of the lost. The preservation of all believers rests upon the finished work of Christ and the promises of God. (John 5:24; 10:28, 29; 8:31; 13:1; 17:11; 14:16; Rom. 8:28-39; Phil 1:6; Heb. 7:25; I Peter 1:5; Jude 24, I John 5:4, 18; Matt. 25:41; Mark 9:42-48; Rev. 20:11-15)

13. We believe that Christ instituted the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper to be observed until He comes. (Matt. 28:19,20; Acts 10:47; 19:5; Luke 22:19, 20; I Cor. 11:23-26)

14. We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is composed solely of those who have been redeemed and washed in His blood and regenerated and sealed by the Holy Spirit. We believe that they are saved to worship and to serve; that it is the responsibility and privilege of all who are saved to seek to win others to Christ, to the “Uttermost part of the earth” and that they should seek to live a holy life by separating themselves from and forsaking all that might dishonor God, cast discredit on His cause, or weaken their testimony. (Matt. 16:16-18; Rev. 1:5; Titus 3:5; Eph. 1:13, 14; Titus 3:7, 14; Luke 24:47; Titus 3:12)

15. We believe there is a personal devil, a being of great cunning and power who is “The prince of the air,” “The prince of this world,” “The god of this age.” We believe that he can exert vast power but only so far as God suffers him to do so and that he shall ultimately be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone and shall be tormented day and night forever. (Job 1:6,7; Ezek. 28:11-19; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matt. 4:1-11; Eph. 2:2; John 12:31; II Cor. 4:4; Rev. 20:10)

16. We accept the Genesis account of creation and believe that man came to be by the direct creation of God and not by evolution. (Gen. 1:2; Col. 1:16, 17; John 1:3)

17. We believe that civil government is of Divine appointment for the interests and good of human society and that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed except in things opposed to the Word of God - the Bible. (Rom. 13:17; II Sam. 23:3; Ex. 18:21, 22; Acts 23:5; 5:20; 4:19, 20; Matt. 22:21; 10:10; Titus 3:1; I Peter 2:13-14; 2:17; Rev. 10:16; Phil 2:10, 11; Psalm 72:11)

18. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior. It pictures our death to sin and resurrection to a new life and that it is a prerequisite to church membership. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the showing forth of His death until He comes again and should always be preceded by self-examination. (Acts 8:36-39; John 3:23; Matt. 3:16; Col. 2:12; I Cor. 11:23-38)

19. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5,13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; I Cor. 5:1; 6:9; I Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)

20. We believe that God intends marriage to last until one spouse dies. Remarried or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the Church and its ministries and be greatly used of God for Christian service; they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon. (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; I Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)

21. We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth, or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Psalms 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24, 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)

22. We believe that God has given the Church a Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20)

23. We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the Church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the Church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company if the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (I Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32)

24. We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the Church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; 1Tim. 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17)