Lakewood Baptist Church is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches, U.S.A., (ABCUSA) our national organization. Locally, we are affiliated with the American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island (ABCORI). As American Baptists, we believe in all the major doctrines of the Christian faith, including the triune nature of God: Father, Jesus Christ, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We believe in the authority of scripture. As American Baptists, we try to order our lives as individuals, as congregations, and as a denomination founded on Biblical principles of grace and justice. We honor the heritage of the past but we do not allow “human traditions” equal place with the word of God as revealed in the Bible.
American Baptists also hold to “Freedom of Conscience” (sometimes called “Soul Liberty”). This belief states that the individual is free to come to his/her own view of God, faith, and worship within the general lines of Christian theology. There is no one right answer when it comes to issues of worship style, how God works, or the content of one’s faith.
We believe that all Christian believers are equipped by God with various gifts and skills which should be used for the upbuilding of the individual, fellow Christians, the Church, and the Kingdom of God. This belief is commonly referred to as the “Priesthood of All Believers”. All God’s children are invited to become equal partners with each other and with God in the building of God’s Kingdom. American Baptists practice the two ordinances which we see in the New Testament, namely Believer’s Baptism by immersion (performed whenever it is desired by a new believer) and the Lord’s Supper a community celebration of remembrance and victory.
