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| What We Believe |  | | American Baptists believe the gospel is marked by the unity of believers who celebrate their racial and ethnic diversity. They also lift up the common elements of humanity and faith that bind us together as the children of God for growth, service, and mission. We work diligently to strengthen the bonds of that union so that we might all be better disciples for Jesus Christ.
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1. American Baptists believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, and that the Bible is the divinely inspired word of God that serves as the final written authority for living out the Christian faith. We celebrate the fact that belief in Jesus Christ assures salvation and eternal fellowship with a loving God.
2. American Baptists believe the local church is the fundamental unit of mission in denominational life.
3. American Baptists support religious freedom and respect the expressions of faith of others.
4. American Baptists partake of two ordinances: believers' baptism and The Lord's Supper.
5. American Baptists believe that the committed individual can and should approach God directly, and that individual gifts of ministry should be shared.
6. American Baptists take seriously the call to evangelism and missionary work.
7. American Baptists acknowledge that God's family extends beyond our local churches, and that God calls us to cooperative ministries.
8. American Baptists have been called to be Christ's witnesses for justice and wholeness within a broken society.
9. American Baptists celebrate the racial, cultural, and theological diversity witnessed within its membership.
10. American Baptists heed the biblical call for a vital witness in a new millennium, seeking renewal and revitalization, informed by history and tradition, motivated by contemporary needs and challenges, and strengthened by God's leading and the example of sacrifice of their savior.
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