About Our Church

First Baptist Church of San Lorenzo Valley is a small congregation nestled in the beauty of God's creation in the Santa Cruz mountains.

At the heart of everything that we are is the person and work of Jesus Christ. We believe that God has infallibly revealed Himself in creation (Romans 1:20)Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. and in His living, written Word (Hebrews 4:12-13 Hebrews 4:12-13 - 12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.; 2 Timothy 3:14-16)2 Timothy 3:14-16 14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;. The doctrinal truth contained in His Word is a treasure to be guarded at all costs (2 Timothy 1:13-14)2 Timothy 1:13-14 13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you., but doctrine is not an end to itself. It brings us by faith to Jesus Christ, the Living God in whom we live and move and have our very being, (Acts 17:28)Acts 17:28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His offspring.' and by whom we have been granted the right to be called the children of God (John 1:12;John 1:12 2 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,  1 John 3:1)1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. .

At First Baptist Church, we are committed to the teaching of God's Word as it was understood and proclaimed during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th Centuries. During that time, great men of faith were strengthened by God to stand firmly against persecution and even martyrdom for the sole sufficiency and authority of God's infallible, inerrant Word. They maintained, often at the expense of their lives, that the gospel of salvation through faith alone in the grace of Jesus Christ alone is the most precious gift that God has bestowed upon His people and should be guarded and proclaimed in purity. Their love for God and their passion for His glory transcended any concern for their own comfort or safety. Their lives were consumed with more than a passion for doctrinal propositions - they were marked by an abiding zeal to know Christ, to worship God, and to maintain the purity of His truth in faith and living.

Our church is in "substantial agreement" with the London Baptist Confession of 1689. This means that though we acknowledge that this confession is not scripture, nor is it infallibly authoritative as scripture alone is, it is none the less an accurate statement of what God's Word teaches us about the various subjects that are important to our faith. Even though we don't agree with 100% of what it states, the confession serves as a summary and a guide for explaining what we believe to be true from God's word in those areas.

The heart of our ministry is to be filled with the Spirit of God (Ephesians 5:18-21)Ephesians 5:18-21 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. , to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth
(John 4:23-24)John 4:23-24 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.", to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2)Romans 12:1-2 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. , and to be equipped by the power of the Lord for the work of the ministry of His kingdom (Ephesians 4:12,Ephesians 4:12 2 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, Matthew 28:18-20)Matthew 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.".

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)

We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is the sign, instrument, and foretaste of the Kingdom of God in the present world. Under the reign of God, the Church serves, announces, and represents the Kingdom as its community of the faithful redeemed who have been baptized into one body and made to drink of one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13)1 Corinthians 12:13 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

God's Kingdom is a gift to His chosen people, a realm that they are ushered into as they are graciously redeemed and given faith in Jesus Christ and His perfect righteousness and obedient, sacrificial death. "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:13-14). The Kingdom of God is not of this world (John 18:36)John 18:36 36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.", and is distinct from everything presently in this world. It is the values, beliefs, and priorities of the Kingdom that define the Church and God's people.
(See Matthew 5:1-16)

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