Church of the Good Shepherd is a confessional church; as members of a church family that has one Lord by the new birth, we also have one faith . We gladly and clearly express our common faith by affirming The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith as a faithful and enduring expression of Scriptural truths. All members of the church are in substantial agreement with the Confession, and prospective members and baptismal candidates participate in our study of these doctrines prior to uniting with the church.

The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith (with Scripture passages)

We affirm these historic creeds of Christianity:
The Apostle's Creed . The Nicene Creed
The Definition of Chalcedon . The Athanasian Creed
(Please Note: In these creeds, the term "catholic" does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church. Instead, "catholic" means "universal." We believe that there is one true, universal church made up of all believers in Jesus Christ. This Church is called "apostolic" because true Christians follow the teachings of Jesus' apostles, the New Testament.)
The confessional and doctrinal emphasis of our church is a common, historical Baptist conviction, but today many question the legitimacy of an emphasis on doctrine and of a detailed church confession.
We hope to adequately answer any questions you may have.

We have an obligation to defend the gift of truth clearly and openly. Beloved, While I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
Jude 1:3
We have an obligation to seek true Christian unity in truth. Sanctify them [set them apart] in the truth; Your Word is truth.
John 17:17
We have an obligation to teach the Scriptures thoroughly to our children. And that from childhood you have know the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:15
We have an obligation to faithfully witness to Christ in a world that asks questions of our faith. But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence...
1 Peter 3:15

Fidelity to Scripture First and foremost, the doctrines in the 1689 Confession are biblical. Our confession clearly declares our allegiance to God's Word as the only sure and final authority for faith and practice, and we seek to speak with authority only where Scripture teaches.
Nurture for God's People A clear, thorough, biblical confession serves as a tool for integration, discipleship, and discipline in the local church. Only as we "teach them to observe everything [Christ] commands," do we rightly evangelize. Our pratice of evangelism is more influenced by the Puritans than modern church growth "experts."
Continuity with Historic Christianity Our confession identifies us with the orthodox, biblical faith of Christ's people throughout history. We are gospel Christians, and our theology is the conservative, historic, Reformed Baptist theology that was the foundation of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Cooperation with Other Christians Our cooperation with other churches is to be done with theological agreement. The Confession identifies clearly where we stand on biblical matters; to the extent we have agreement in truth, we are then able to joyfully and faithfully cooperate.

Integration Our Confession of Faith serves as a tool for teaching new believers and potential church members the basics of a biblical, Christian faith. We require those who would like to become part of the church family, through baptism or otherwise, to attend a series of lessons using our Confession. Each new member of the church is required to hold to the historic Christian creeds, to be in substantial agreement with the 1689 Confession, and to demonstrate sincere submission to the truth and authority of Scripture.
Maturation The 1689 Confession is an enduring doctrinal statement. It is a rich collection of the great truths of Scripture. Any believer will benefit from a thorough study of the Confession, but new believers find it especially useful in learning to follow Christ. We use the Confession to teach each other the important doctrines of God's Word.
Discipline The New Testament consistently warns against those who would teach false doctrines and "the commandments of men." We will use the 1689 Confession as one tool for identifying false teachers. In this life, we will never arrive at a perfect understanding of Scripture, but the Word is, for the most part, clear in what it teaches. It is expected that those teaching within the church will faithfully defend the doctrinal convictions of the church. Because the congregation itself, under Jesus Christ's authoritative Word, has the final responsibility for maintaining doctrinal purity among its teachers, it is imperitive that all the people of God know the things of God's Word.