Every church must discover God's purpose for that church or they will fail in what God has designed that church to accomplish. The purpose of our church is summarized in a single sentence:
"To Find people needing Jesus, Accept them into our fellowship, Involve them in ministry, and Teach them God's purpose in order to Honor Him."
Our purpose statement uses the word faith as an acronym. "Without faith it is impossible to please God..." Hebrews 11:6
Finding people needing Jesus means sharing our faith with unbelievers.
Accepting them into our fellowship means sharing our common experiences such as baptism and church fellowship.
Involving them in ministry means sharing responsibilities of work in the church and outreach out to the community.
Teaching them God's purpose means sharing everything Jesus taught us about our new life as believers, as disciples.
Honoring God in the process means presenting everything we do to our Heavenly Father as an act of worship.
Our Statement of Faith is the essentials that we believe.
1. About God
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver and Ruler of the universe. God has eternally existed and reveals Himself in three distinct personalities: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal without division of nature, essence or being. Matthew 28:19; I Peter 1:2; II Corinthians 13:14
2. About the Bible
The Bible is God's Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of error. II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20, 21; II Timothy 1:13
3 About Human Beings
People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God's creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin". This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life. Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6; 59:1,2; Romans 3:23
4. About Salvation
Salvation is God's free gift available to us but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin's penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. Romans 6:23; Ephensians 2:8,9; John 14:6; Titus 3:5; Galations 3:26; Romans 5:1
5. About Eternal Security
Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot "lose" it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security. John 10:27-29; II Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10,14; I Peter 1:3-5; I John 5:13
6. About Eternity
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him now and in Heaven is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence. John 3:16; John 14:17; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:17-18; Revelation 20:15; I Cor. 2:7-9
7. About Prayer
We believe in the power of prayer. We recognize that only the presence and power of the Holy Spirit enables God's people to live obedient, transformed lives. Therefore, we faithfully offer prayers, confident God hears and answers those prayers according to His plan. Matt. 5:5-15; John 14:13-14
8. About Church Membership
We believe that every member is a minister and that when entering into the covenant membership at Horse Cave Baptist Church, we are committing to serving Christ within our church. We offer the opportunity to discover and use his or her spiritual gifts within the context of the local church and into the home, marketplace, community and world. Matt. 16:15-19; John 17:21; Acts 2:41-42; I Cor. 12:13; Eph. 2:19; 4:3-6
Our Affiliations
We are affiliated with the following groups for the purpose of fellowship, missions and Christian education:
*Liberty Association of Baptist
35 local churches in Hart, Barren, Metcalfe and Warren Counties joined together for the purpose of fellowship, Christian education and missions. We work together to connect all people to Jesus Christ and His church.
*Kentucky Baptist Convention
2454 churches with the goal of evangelizing our state.
*Southern Baptist Convention
42,334 churches in America with 16 million members. It is the largest association of churches in Kentucky and in America. Each Sunday, services are held in over 80 languages.
We financially support these groups by our giving through the Cooperative Program. We currently give 10% of all undesignated contribution through the Cooperative Program. We also give 2% to local missions. Our members contribute offerings above their regular giving to Kentucky State Missions, North America Missions and International Missions which goes directly to our over 10,000 missionaries.