We are those who seek to follow Jesus, brokenly at times maybe but this is who we are.
In our practices as a church we share three ways of deepening and strengthening our following of Jesus together.
Being baptised
We believe that Jesus calls us to be baptised and to baptise others in his name, as personal acts of commitment to follow him. This is based on the actions and words of Jesus and the early church in the New Testament, in places such as Matthew 28:18-20 - “Therefore go and make disciples of all peoples, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.
Our distinctive undertaking, as baptists shaping these as personal and yet public acts of declaration, flows from our understanding that our response to God’s call upon our lives is one that is made both personally and in community with others. No-one else can make that response for us but neither are we alone when we say ‘yes’ to God in baptism.
If you would like to speak with us about baptism, or if you would like to simply find out more, please get in touch with derrick@cathcartbaptist.online. We run baptismal sessions at periods in the year – if you would like to put your name down to come to the next one, please let us know.
Becoming a member of the church
When you are baptised you are being welcomed, in Jesus, into the family of God, the body of Christ, through his Spirit.
And in a sense, there is nothing more than this. However, just as Jesus was made flesh in particular ways and at a specific time, there are ways in which we need to relate to each other as church that are appropriate for now. This means that, for our structure, it is helpful to use the language of membership. This allows us to formally work as a legal body and function in ways appropriate to charity regulations, as well as shaping who makes decisions about who we are as the body of Christ here in this place and for this time.
To come into membership of Cathcart Baptist Church enables you to be fully involved in decision-making about how we are hearing the Spirit of God together, when we gather at church meetings. While any within the church family can speak into those settings, it is those in membership who make the decisions together on the next steps of the church. As a baptist fellowship, it is the gathering of those who follow Jesus together here who carry the responsibility and joy of seeking to hear the Spirit together, for the next steps.
We are aware that making these commitments can seem like a big step for some but it is part and parcel of being the people of God together that we share in the joy and the responsibility of being Christ’s people for this time, alongside each other, and it is simply undertaking to fulfil the commitments to each other which are being expressed in baptism.
If you would like to speak with us about becoming a member of the church, or if you would simply like to find out more, please get in touch with derrick@cathcartbaptist.online.
Next steps
We shape our lives together in the church through three streams, of planting, of growing and of flourishing. This approach has grown from biblical images of gardens and sowing seeds linking with an understanding of our context and grounds here in south Glasgow. We want to hear what God is saying to us, and for us, here.
These streams are ways in which we express the next steps that you can take in your faith. People within the congregation are engaged across the streams in varying projects, events and teams. Take time to look over what is happening. This is new work for us, and your life experience and gifts of God may very well take any of these in different and new directions as you get involved. In these we are seeking to live out the kingdom of God here, with one another.
If you would like to speak with us about next steps, or if you would simply like to find out more, please get in touch with derrick@cathcartbaptist.online.
