Mission Statement

A Servant Community: Actively Faithful, Faithfully Active

Vision Statement

St. John’s Baptist Church is a fellowship of faith bound by a covenant with God and with each other and is committed to the ideals of community, freedom, service and worship. Together we seek…

  • Faith revealed through community with each other and the world around us.
  • Faith expressed as freedom through association, individual interpretation and a personal relationship with God.
  • Faith demonstrated in service to our local and global community, inspired by the message and spirit of Jesus Christ.
  • Faith celebrated through public worship and joyful praise for the glory of God.

“And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39 (NRSV)

Statement of Values

Commitment to Community

We are committed to each other as members of the St. John’s family of faith. We find joy in our fellowship, with support and love for each other.

We are committed as a congregation to sharing our finances, time and talents to furthering the work of this Church and to the glory of God in the world at large.

We are committed to identifying the needs and sharing the Good News with those who are longing for a place of peace, fellowship and spiritual fulfillment. We are committed to reach out, embrace and welcome all who wish to join this family of faith.

We are committed to reaching out to the community outside our walls.
This commitment includes the local, state, regional and global communities of which we are a part.

We are committed to the family (with all the 21st century variations) from the cradle to the grave. This commitment involves an emphasis on the ministry and teaching of our children and youth. They are the future and merit having a Christian dimension to their formation as thinking and acting citizens in God’s world. We are also committed to continued ministry to our adult members, with special emphasis on the needs and desires of our senior adult members.

We are committed to active participation with other communities of faith, seeking meaningful ways to work together to make the world a better place.

Commitment to Freedom

We are an autonomous community of faith. While we may align ourselves with denominational and non-denominational groups, no outside group will dictate structure or policy of St. John’s Baptist Church. We believe this position is in concert with authentic Baptist heritage and is an essential and unique element of whom we have been and who we will be in the future.

We are committed to the principles of inclusion and openness to all who seek to be a Child of God. We will not allow discrimination in our membership policy against anyone because of race, gender, sexual orientation, station in life or previous religious affiliation. We have settled this position as policy and embrace it fully.

We are committed to the continued study and search for theological relevance in today’s culture and world. We strive earnestly to study and grow on our theological journey.

We are committed to a shared leadership model. This model emphasizes a working partnership between congregational involvement and leadership and a dynamic, forthright and innovative senior minister and staff.

We are committed to a free pulpit and a free pew. Differences of theological, political or social issues will not separate us. No ideological position will be used to disqualify any church member, staff member or visitor from participating in a worship service at St. John’s Baptist Church.

Commitment to Service

We are a servant Church with a primary focus on local community outreach and missions. While we will serve God’s children as God leads us, we recognize that as a center-city community of faith we have a special responsibility to seek opportunities that will address the unmet social and spiritual needs of communities and individuals within central Charlotte.

We support the servanthood of the many members who seek to “do unto the least of these” in their individual and church-wide service and mission projects. This support is inclusive of both home and foreign missions.

Commitment to Worship

We are committed to public worship, prayer and celebration, not for self satisfaction, but for the glory of God.

We are committed to each person’s spiritual growth. We acknowledge that paths and needs vary. We are committed to supporting all spiritual journeys through a variety of educational and reflective opportunities.

We are committed to our tradition of expressions of praise through music and the arts.

We are committed to the public worship of God through our current traditional worship service and through any thoughtful form of worship that makes our fellowship relevant and meaningful to this day and age.