Who we are
We are a registered charity established over 300 years ago, by a group of member churches, with the formal object of ‘advancing the Christian religion in accordance with the doctrines of Particular Baptists in Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man’. We provide funds towards the support and training of future, present and retired pastors and churches.
What is a Particular Baptist?
The word ‘Particular’ in our title refers to a specific Biblical doctrine. This expresses the truth that in God’s mysterious eternal purposes the death of Jesus Christ was intended from before the foundation of the world to accomplish the salvation of a ‘particular’, or specific, group of people. They are variously described in the Bible as “a great multitude that no-one could number”1, “everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself”2, or the “elect”3. This does not negate either the command of Christ to preach the gospel to all nations or the need to follow the apostolic example of declaring that God “commands all people everywhere to repent”4. Indeed, it may be argued that where such a view of the atonement is denied, any Biblical guarantee of the effectiveness of gospel preaching disappears.
‘Baptist’ refers to the requirement that those who have professed personal faith in Christ should be baptised (immersed) as a sign of faith, and in obedience to the command and example of Christ. Such churches require baptism as a pre-requisite to church membership and follow a congregational form of church government. Leadership is provided by elders appointed by the congregation to whom they remain answerable.
Biblical references (ESV)
1 Revelation 7.9
2 Acts 2.39
3 Titus 1.1
4 Acts 17.30
