BELIEFS & IDENTITY
Our Mission
Growing in Christ and community–sharing God’s love in the world.
Growing in Christ
Establishing our identity in Christ through opportunities to put the teachings of Jesus into daily practice.
And community
Experiencing community by welcoming the stranger and caring for our neighbor as Christ did.
Sharing God’s love in the world
Embodying Christ’s love through opportunities to make broken places whole.
Being Baptist
At Second-Ponce, we approach ministry with the belief that the Holy Spirit empowers local churches to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. To that end, we value the “four fragile freedoms” as defined by Baptist historian Walter B. Shurden.
Baptists believe that the Bible is a foundational record of God’s revelation to humankind. Both individuals and congregations are free to read and interpret the Bible under the Lordship of Christ and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Baptists are not beholden to any creeds or reliant on mediators outside of Scripture.
Bible Freedom
Soul freedom affirms that each person is created in the image of God and is therefore able and responsible—not by force or coercion from a doctrine, clergy or the government—for their own direct relationship with God. Baptists believe people may only come to Christ on their own volition. Soul freedom is sometimes called the “Priesthood of Believers.”
Soul Freedom
Church Freedom (or the autonomy of the local church) is the historic belief that local churches are free, under the Lordship of Jesus, to determine their membership and leadership, to order their worship and work, to ordain whomever they perceive to be gifted for ministry (regardless of gender) and to participate in the larger Body of Christ (other churches and other denominations).
Church Freedom
Religious freedom is the historic Baptist affirmation of freedom OF religion, freedom FOR religion, and freedom FROM religion. The earliest Baptists championed the separation of church and state in the American colonies and, later, the United States. Churches and individuals should be free to worship in whatever manner they choose and with whomever they choose. All people, no matter their religious background, should be free from any coercion to worship, and free from the intervention of the state in matters of religion.
Religious Freedom
Second-Ponce | A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
“Led by the love of Christ, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship invites churches and individuals to partner in transforming God’s world, working together as a global community to spread good news, justice and hope through impactful ministries, missions and resources.
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a network of churches, individuals and partners inviting each other into deeper community, equipping each other for ministry and seeking the transformation of God’s world.
We pursue a bold and powerful witness in our communities and around the world that none of us can do on our own. As a Fellowship, we unleash all the powerful gifts we’ve been given to meet the urgent needs of our churches and our communities.
We participate in the mission of Jesus through both evangelism and social transformation – a mission that involves individuals and communities, hearts and minds, words and deeds, souls and bodies. It includes changing hearts and the transformation of structures and communities.
Our understanding of Baptist faith and practice is expressed by our emphasis on freedom in biblical interpretation and congregational governance, the participation of women and men in all aspects of church leadership and Christian ministry, and religious liberty for all people.
CBF is innovative congregations, gifted and called field personnel bearing witness to Jesus Christ around the world, nearly 1,200 endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors, 15 state and regional organizations, dozens of theological schools and partner organizations and so much more.”
Learn more about the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship at www.cbf.net.
Core Values
These are the principles to which we hold ourselves accountable in living out our mission.
Community
Discipleship
Missions
Worship
Joining the Church
We welcome you to make a commitment to Christ and our community of faith! During the Sunday morning worship service, we provide the opportunity to officially join Second-Ponce during the Hymn of Response. At any time during the song, simply walk to the front of the Sanctuary where our senior pastor or one of our ministers will greet you. If you're uncomfortable being "in the spotlight," but still want to join–that's ok! Speak with one of our ministers and they'll walk you through an alternate plan.
Christian Practices
Baptism
As Baptists, we participate in and perform “believer’s baptism” which means individuals who have made a personal decision to follow Jesus are baptized. Our practice is full immersion in water, symbolizing the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. While baptism is important as a public declaration of faith, Baptists do not believe it is necessary for salvation.
The Lord’s Supper
In Baptist tradition, the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, refers to a symbolic act of worship where followers of Christ partake of bread and cup to remember Jesus' death on the cross through the symbolism of his broken body and spilled blood. Communion unites us as one body in Christ’s commission to continue His ministry. At Second-Ponce, we invite anyone who claims Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior to participate in this quarterly ritual.