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Values
- Cooperation. We value voluntary cooperation between every church and ministry within the association and with other churches, ministries and bodies they feel led to cooperate with to accomplish both their own and the association’s objective’s. We also value the association’s voluntary cooperation with other Southern Baptist Bodies and entities and with other groups and ministries of similar faith and practice it feels led to cooperate with.
- Diversity.
We are grateful to God for the diversity of churches, ministries, and people He has blessed our association with, and will seek to further that diversity and seek to be further enriched by it, as God allows us.
- Biblical authority.
We believe the Bible is to be our sole authority for faith and practice, and value its teaching, preaching, reading, and propagation in all that we do.
- Evangelism.
We believe the call to make disciples of all people is a fundamental reason for out cooperation. We value the planting of new churches and the strengthening of exciting Churches and ministries to the end that more people may come to Christ as personal Savior and Lord throughout the Western Connecticut area.
- Joint ministry
. We value partnering with others to further the work God has called us to in Western Connecticut, and to further His work in other places.
- Fellowship.
We value the importance of fellowship between believers, leaders, pastoral staff, and between churches and ministries in the Western Connecticut Baptist Association. We believe one important function of the Association is to further such fellowship and value efforts to do so.
- Laity.
We believe that lay involvement in ministry is one key to fulfilling the mission God has given to each of our churches and ministries and to our association. We value lay persons as equal partners in the ministry of the gospel and we value all efforts that can be made to help them hear God’s call to ministry, and equip and involve them in such ministry.
- Creativity.
We value Spirit – led creative thinking to achieve our goals and plans. While we greatly respect tradition and history, we believe God’s Spirit may also move us forward through new approaches, structures, and models of ministry, and will attempt to be open to them.
- Local church ministry. We believe the local church and local ministries are the primary avenue through which God is accomplishing His work in our world. As an association a primary role in our work together is to strengthen and help expand the ministry and effectiveness of each local church and ministry. We value the ministry of every local church and our other local ministries and will always attempt to demonstrate that in our work together.
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