As a Baptist church within the Christian tradition, our beliefs are rooted in Scripture, centred on Jesus Christ, and lived out in community together.

Our Beliefs

Personal Christian Experience

A personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, is essential for salvation. The eternal quality of life is found through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord — and nothing else is needed for that purpose.

Romans 5:1, 8:1

Priesthood of All Believers

All mature people are able to relate to God for themselves through faith in Jesus Christ, and it is their right to do so. There is one mediator between God and mankind — Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 2:5, 1 Peter 2:4–9, Ephesians 4:12

The Church as the Body of Christ

The church is composed of believers in Christ. Local churches are groups of baptized believers united to worship God, receive instruction in the faith, enjoy supportive fellowship, and serve God and humanity as "the body of Christ."

1 Corinthians 12:12–27, Ephesians 4:1–16

Believer's Baptism

The believer's initiation into the Church of Jesus Christ is baptism by immersion — a public declaration of faith and the way to become a full member of our community.

Our Covenant

Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour and, having professed of our faith in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we desire now to enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

We promise, through the help of the Holy Spirit, to journey together in Christian love — to foster the spiritual health of this church in knowledge, right living, and fellowship; to uphold its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; and to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.

We also promise to foster family and personal devotions; to educate our children in the Christian faith; to seek the salvation of our family and friends; to exhibit Christian behaviour in the world; to be just, faithful, and trustworthy in our dealings with others; and to be enthusiastic in our efforts to advance the Kingdom of God.

We promise to care for one another in Christian love — to remember each other in prayer; to offer comfort in sickness and distress and sorrow; to be courteous and slow to take offence; and when disagreements arise, to seek, without delay, reconciliation in the name of Jesus Christ.

We promise that, when we leave this church, we will as soon as possible join with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.

Article of Faith

As a church within the Baptist tradition, we believe Christ to be the only Head of the Church, the Word of God its only authority, and the Holy Spirit its guide into all truth. We believe that the New Testament Church is a voluntary organization of baptized believers in Jesus Christ, who meet together to maintain the public worship of God, to observe the ordinances of the New Testament, and to promote the interests of the Kingdom of Christ.

We believe that each congregation is autonomous in making decisions about how it will govern itself, worship together, and respond to the context in which it is called to live. We also believe in the Priesthood of all Believers, upholding the principles of individual responsibility, soul liberty, and competency before God to interpret scripture for oneself under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

At the same time, we affirm our voluntary association with like-minded churches in the Ottawa Baptist Association and the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ).

— Article II of the Bethany Church Constitution