Brainerd Baptist Church

The mission of Brainerd Baptist Church is to see God deliver individuals from the bondage of sin, disciple them into faithful followers of Christ, and deploy them as leaders to the nations.

Deliver

We preach the gospel of Jesus Christ without apology and believe that it has the power to deliver individuals from the punishment of sin as they are drawn to faith in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. The gospel of Christ is central to all that we do as a local church. As a Southern Baptist church, we hold to the doctrines of faith as they are articulated within the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.

Furthermore, we believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ will not only deliver individuals from the punishment of sin, but it will also deliver individuals from the power of sin. The Christian life is not free of struggle and hardship. Believers will battle their sinful nature and be in conflict with it until the return of Jesus Christ. The Word of God has the power to guide one’s life, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, individuals can be rescued from the bondage of sin by the means of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ or for the purpose of sanctification, meaning that an individual is becoming more like Jesus Christ every day.

Romans 3:10, 23, 24; 5:12; 6:1-14, 23; 8:1-11; Eph. 2:5, 8-10.
 

Disciple

Our philosophy of ministry is guided by the Great Commission. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV).

Discipleship is central to all that we do at Brainerd Baptist Church. In obedience to the Great Commission, Brainerd Baptist Church stresses the practice of the basic spiritual disciplines—Bible reading, prayer, and Scripture memory. As believers grow spiritually, these disciplines should become a part of their daily walk with Christ. We have developed a ministry framework that enables our church body to engage in discipleship at every stage of the Christian journey by encouraging Bible study and Scripture memory that correlates with the weekly messages. We believe that discipleship is a never-ending process, because it is the means of our sanctification—how we become more like Jesus Christ.

We desire that our ministries equip our members to be disciple-makers and provide opportunities for members to be involved in discipleship. Sunday Bible Study, small group Bible studies, and the School of Discipleship are three ways in which our members become involved in the process of discipleship. The School of Discipleship and Sunday Bible Study are the equipping ministries, while small groups are the means by which discipleship will be accomplished within the local church. Small groups become the catalyst through which mentoring and leadership development will produce disciples who will continue to produce other disciples. It is recommended that individuals develop intentional relationships with one-two people in order for genuine discipleship to occur within the local church. Without intentional relationships, servant leadership and the practice of spiritual disciplines, discipleship will not occur and spiritual growth will not take place.
Eph. 4:12-13; Col. 1:9-10; 2 Tim. 2:2; Titus 2:1-10; 1 John 2:12-14.

Deploy

In obedience to the Great Commission, Brainerd Baptist Church desires to deploy disciples of Jesus Christ to the nations. If we are going to “make disciples of all nations,” we must go to the nations. Deployment occurs in two stages.

First of all, we deploy our members on a local level. We seek to reach the city of Chattanooga and the states of Tennessee and Georgia with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the means of our small group ministry, we will “reach beyond” our small groups and reach out to our community. Our small groups will engage in community outreach by participating in various service projects throughout the greater Chattanooga metropolitan area. We also offer mission opportunities in other areas of the United States.

Second, we deploy our members on a global level. We offer many different world missions ventures for our congregation throughout the year. We provide team leader training to individuals who desire to lead short-term mission trips. We also offer training to all church members who sense God’s call to be on mission through the means of short-term mission trips. An annual world mission forum provides an opportunity for our congregation to be educated concerning the needs of the world.

Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 1:16; 10:13-17; Rev. 5:9.