WHAT WE BELIEVE
IN SUMMARY, WE ARE: CHRISTIAN, EVANGELICAL, REFORMED, AND BAPTIST.
GOSPEL FOCUSED
WE EXIST BECAUSE OF THE GOSPEL AND FOR THE GOSPEL. CHRIST IS AT THE CENTRE OF EVERYTHING — THE PREACHING, THE ORDINANCES, THE SINGING, AND OUR COMMON LIFE TOGETHER. WE ARE A CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN THE FULLEST SENSE, AND WE AFFIRM ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN TEACHING AS EXPRESSED IN THE ANCIENT CREEDS — THE APOSTLES' CREED, THE NICENE CREED, AND THE ATHANASIAN CREED.
WE ARE COMMITTED TO KEEPING "THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING." WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT US CAN NEVER BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT WE SHARE IN COMMON WITH EVERY TRUE CHRISTIAN CHURCH — IN OUR TOWN OF DUNDALK, ACROSS IRELAND, AND AROUND THE WORLD, IN EVERY AGE SINCE JESUS. WE DO NOT MAKE DOGMATIC DEMANDS ON MATTERS OF LESSER IMPORTANCE. FOR A HELPFUL FRAMEWORK ON THEOLOGICAL PRIORITIES, WE RECOMMEND ALBERT MOHLER'S ARTICLE ON THEOLOGICAL TRIAGE.
BIBLICAL PREACHING AND THEOLOGICALLY CONCERNED
WE ARE AN EVANGELICAL AND REFORMED CHURCH. WE VALUE EXPOSITORY, EXEGETICALLY DRIVEN PREACHING — WORKING THROUGH THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD, BOOK BY BOOK AND PASSAGE BY PASSAGE. WE ARE CONFESSIONALLY ROOTED, AND WE BELIEVE THAT CAREFUL THEOLOGY IS NOT AN OBSTACLE TO VIBRANT FAITH BUT ITS VERY FOUNDATION.
WE WANT EVERY PERSON IN OUR CONGREGATION TO BE GROUNDED IN THE WORD AND GROWING IN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF IT — NOT JUST ON SUNDAYS, BUT THROUGH EVERY OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE TO OPEN SCRIPTURE TOGETHER.
MEANINGFUL MEMBERSHIP
WE ARE A BAPTIST CHURCH, AND WE BELIEVE THE LOCAL CHURCH IS NOT A LOOSE GATHERING OF INDIVIDUALS BUT A COVENANT COMMUNITY. WE BELIEVE THAT THE SECOND LONDON BAPTIST CONFESSION (1689) OFFERS A FAITHFUL SUMMARY OF GOD'S WORD.
MEMBERSHIP AT DUNDALK BAPTIST CHURCH MEANS SOMETHING. IT MEANS FAITHFUL ATTENDANCE, JOYFUL GIVING, WHOLEHEARTED PARTICIPATION IN WORSHIP, INTENTIONAL SERVICE TO OTHERS, AND A WILLINGNESS TO SUBMIT TO THE LEADERSHIP GOD HAS PLACED OVER THE CONGREGATION. WE ARE COMMITTED TO BUILDING A CHURCH CULTURE WHERE EVERY MEMBER UNDERSTANDS THAT THEY ARE NOT A SPECTATOR — THEY ARE A VITAL PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST IN DUNDALK.
DISCIPLESHIP MAKING
WE ARE CALLED NOT JUST TO MAKE CONVERTS BUT TO MAKE DISCIPLES. AT DUNDALK BAPTIST CHURCH, DISCIPLESHIP HAPPENS AT EVERY LEVEL — THROUGH CORPORATE WORSHIP, CORPORATE PRAYER, SUNDAY SCHOOL, MEN'S AND WOMEN'S GROUPS, ONE-TO-ONE RELATIONSHIPS, EVENTS AND RETREATS, AND THE ORDINARY RHYTHMS OF LIFE SHARED TOGETHER.
WE WANT EVERY PERSON WHO WALKS THROUGH OUR DOORS TO BE KNOWN, INVESTED IN, AND GROWING. WE WANT EVERY MEMBER TO BE NOT ONLY A DISCIPLE BUT A DISCIPLE-MAKER — SOMEONE WHO IS INTENTIONALLY HELPING OTHERS FOLLOW JESUS MORE FAITHFULLY.
PASSIONATELY PRAYERFUL
PRAYER IS NOT A FOOTNOTE TO OUR LIFE TOGETHER — IT IS WOVEN THROUGH EVERYTHING WE DO. WE WANT TO BE A CHURCH WHOSE CORPORATE WORSHIP IS MARKED BY FERVENT, EXPECTANT PRAYER, AND WHOSE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS ARE CHARACTERISED BY DAILY DEPENDENCE ON GOD IN THEIR HOMES AND PERSONAL LIVES.
FROM OUR PASTORAL PRAYERS ON SUNDAY TO OUR WEDNESDAY EVENING GATHERINGS, FROM THE GREAT CONGREGATIONAL "AMEN" TO THE QUIET PRAYERS OF FAMILIES AROUND KITCHEN TABLES — WE WANT PRAYER TO BE THE PULSE OF DUNDALK BAPTIST CHURCH.
GOD-CENTRED WORSHIP
OUR WORSHIP IS REGULATED BY GOD'S WORD AND EXPRESSED THROUGH PREACHING, SINGING, PRAYING, GIVING AND THE ORDINANCES. WE WANT EVERYTHING IN OUR GATHERED WORSHIP TO BE GOD-CENTRED — NOT DRIVEN BY PREFERENCE OR PERFORMANCE, BUT BY A SINCERE DESIRE TO HONOUR HIM.
THIS EXTENDS BEYOND SUNDAY. WE BELIEVE THAT GOD-CENTRED WORSHIP IS ULTIMATELY A WAY OF LIFE — MARKED BY LIVING IN CHRIST IN EVERY AREA OF DAILY EXISTENCE. WHATEVER WE DO, WE DO FOR THE LORD.
WORSHIP, FOR US, IS NOT A WEEKLY EVENT BUT A CONSTANT ORIENTATION OF THE HEART.
MISSION
WE ARE NOT A CHURCH THAT TURNS INWARD. WE ARE BROADLY EVANGELICAL — COMMITTED TO FELLOWSHIPPING WITH ALL WHO BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS THE INFALLIBLE, AUTHORITATIVE WORD OF GOD AND THAT SALVATION IS BY GRACE ALONE, THROUGH FAITH ALONE, IN CHRIST ALONE. WE KEEP CLEAR FENCES, BUT WE AIM TO KEEP THEM LOW AND TO SHAKE HANDS OVER THEM OFTEN.
LOCALLY, WE ARE COMMITTED TO THE TOWN OF DUNDALK — THROUGH COMMUNITY OUTREACH, OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR LOCAL UNIVERSITY, KIDS' CAMPS, AND A VISIBLE, WELCOMING PRESENCE THAT OUR NEIGHBOURS CAN FIND AND TRUST. WE PRAY REGULARLY FOR OTHER CHURCHES IN OUR COMMUNITY, ACROSS IRELAND, AND AROUND THE WORLD AS PART OF OUR GATHERED WORSHIP.
GLOBALLY, WE STAND WITH THE PERSECUTED CHURCH, SUPPORT IRISH BAPTIST MISSIONS, AND ARE GROWING IN OUR DESIRE TO SEE THE GOSPEL REACH THE NATIONS. WE WANT TO SEE PEOPLE SAVED — IN OUR TOWN, ACROSS IRELAND, AND TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.
EVERYTHING WE DO AS A CHURCH — EVERY SERMON, EVERY PRAYER MEETING, EVERY ACT OF SERVICE, EVERY CUP OF COFFEE SHARED WITH A NEIGHBOUR — IS AN EXPRESSION OF THESE SEVEN PRINCIPLES, ROOTED IN WHO WE ARE AS A CHRISTIAN, EVANGELICAL, REFORMED, AND BAPTIST CHURCH.