About

WHO IS FOOTHILLS BAPTIST CHURCH?

We are a group of families and individuals from the Issaquah, Washington area who have come together to form a faith-community as followers of Jesus Christ. We are an evangelical Christian church made up of people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and ages. The Bible is our sole guide for faith and life. Our church is “independent” in that we are governed by our own team of church leaders (the Bible refers to them as “elders”). We also cooperate with a large network of churches called the Southern Baptist Convention. This group of over 45,000 churches from all across the U.S. works together primarily to support missions work around the globe. Therefore, we are a Baptist church.

WHAT DO WE BELIEVE?

We have no creed but the Bible. A brief statement of our core beliefs that reflects our understanding of biblical teaching follows.

We believe that the Bible is God’s Word to us, written by human authors who were divinely inspired. It is true, without mistakes as originally written, revealing God’s plan for salvation. It is our sole source of truth and authority for Christian living.

We believe there is one living and true God who eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is the Creator and Ruler of all things.

We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ. He was miraculously born of a virgin; lived a sinless life; willingly offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross; was bodily resurrected after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death; ascended to the right hand of the Father; and will return again to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.

We believe human beings were created by God uniquely in His own image. Human life is sacred and all people are worthy of respect and Christian love. All people have chosen to disobey God and thus are sinners by nature and practice, deserving of the punishment of eternal spiritual death, which is separation from God. We all are in need of God’s forgiveness and salvation.

We believe salvation is possible only through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus died for our sins and all who believe in Him find forgiveness and are declared righteous because of His sacrificial death on the cross on our behalf. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvements or good works. A person comes into right relationship with God and receives His free gift of eternal life the moment he/she chooses to turn from their sin and place their faith in Jesus. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian – one cannot “lose” their salvation.

We believe in the eternal existence of everyone who ever has lived; either in the everlasting blessedness of being in right relationship with God in heaven, or in the everlasting punishment of those separated from God by their sins in hell. Heaven and hell are real places of eternal existence.

A more detailed explanation of beliefs commonly held by churches cooperating with the Southern Baptist Convention can be found at the following link: http://www.sbc.net/bfm/bfm2000.asp

WHAT IS OUR MISSION AS A CHURCH?

Our ultimate purpose, both as individuals and as a church, is to please God and point toward His awesome greatness (or “glory” as the Bible calls it). Within this purpose, the church has a unique mission in the world. Jesus came to reveal God to us and make it possible for us to come into relationship with God through faith in Christ. Jesus calls His followers to join with Him in this mission. He established the church as a way for His followers to work together and pursue this work. Before going up into heaven, Jesus told His followers: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18b-20). Our mission is to help people come to follow Jesus.

We have defined how we do this and identified several distinct elements to this mission. We state it this way: The mission of Foothills Baptist Church is to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people everywhere and bring them into membership in His family, help them grow toward Christ-like maturity, equip them for their ministry in the church and encourage them in their mission in the world, to the glory of God.

The specific aspects of this mission are…

…We want to help people come to faith in Christ. We seek to help share the good news of Jesus Christ and what He has done for us here in our community and around the world so others can find a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

…We want to help people follow Christ’s teachings and grow to become like Christ through personal spiritual growth. We teach God’s Word to do this.

…We want to help followers of Christ connect with other followers of Christ in loving and meaningful relationships. This is Christian fellowship.

…We want to help followers of Christ use their gifts and abilities to serve God in meeting the needs of others. We seek to express Christ’s love to fellow believers and to those around us in the world through humble Christian service.

…We want to celebrate God and express our love for Him in joyous worship that overflows into a life of obedience to God.