Frequently Asked Questions

“How should I dress when I come to church?”

Please, come as you are. While we do encourage our own people to dress modestly and appropriately, we don’t enforce a certain dress code. Guests are welcome to come in what they’d normally dress in.

“What version of the Bible do you use?”

The pastor, or anyone speaking, will be found using the King James Version. Again, guests are welcome to come as they are with the version they have.

“What kind of music do you use in church?”

We use more conservative music in our worship to the Lord rather than contemporary. Almost all the songs played in church are hymns.

“What if I don’t have a ride to church?”

Please contact the pastor if you don’t have a way to getting to church. We may be able to figure something out for you to get here.

“Is there something for children and babies?”

Yes, and no. No, because we are just starting out and don’t have the accommodations or manpower yet. Our meeting place is only one room in a hotel so there isn’t another place for children and babies to go. However, we are working on it and will be attempting to figure out a way to do something for kids during the service. Also, in the future when we can upgrade, we plan on having things for children and a nursery for babies.

“How many people attend?”

Probably under 30 people will attend. We are at the beginning stages of starting this church and therefore in the process of outreaching to people.

“Do I have to bring money?”

No, only members are encouraged to give. If a guest would like to give, they are more than welcome but nobody will think less if a guest doesn’t put anything into the offering plate.

“Who can come?”

Anyone is welcome at Hobble Creek Baptist Church. You don’t need to be invited, you don’t have to know people here, and you don’t have to be a Baptist or Christian.

“Can I start with a one-on-one Bible study first before I come to church?”

Yes, of course you can. If you’re scared of crowds or just scared of coming for the first time, we’d love to start with a Bible study instead. Just contact the pastor and tell him you’d like to start with a Bible study.

“Can’t I just watch services online?”

Well, of course you can, but that doesn’t mean it is best. God, in detail, describes how that believers need each other to sharpen each other and encourage one another. A church is explained as being one body where the members work together. Sure, you can be benefited by just watching online, but you’d be more blessed if you came in person, and you’d bless others at the same time.

“What is a Baptist?”

There are many ways people have defined “Baptist.” One reason for this is because “Baptist” is not a denomination. There are certain types of Baptists that are part of a denomination, such as the Southern Baptists, but “Baptist” itself is not a denomination. To help you understand this, think of the term “Christian.” What is a Christian? Well, that can be hard to define at times apart from the obvious belief that they claim to believe in Christ, and the reason is because there are so many different groups out there that call themselves Christian. That is because “Christian” is not a denomination. Any Christian can believe what they want. So, the term “Baptist” can be hard to define because anyone who claims to be a Baptist can hold to whatever belief they want. However, below are some important beliefs that are common amongst Baptists, that may not be so common among other Christian religions:

(1) Baptists typically have a high regard for the Word of God. The way many of us put it, “the Bible is our sole authority for all matters of faith and practice.”

(2) Baptists typically don’t believe in salvation by works. If you look at essentially every religion in the world, including many “Christian” religions today, they all believe someone must be a good person, or do good works, or not do bad works, in order to get to heaven, whereas Baptists typically believe salvation is by faith in Christ and not of ourselves. Obviously, we greatly believe in doing good works and being a good person, but just not for salvation—we believe that good works ought to be out of thankfulness and love for our Savior, Jesus Christ.

(3) Similar to point number two, Baptists typically believe in eternal security, meaning that once a person is saved they are always saved—they cannot lose their salvation.

(4) Baptists almost always believe in the Trinity. The Trinity is God in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. We do not believe in many gods, or that Christ is another god apart from the Father. We believe those three are one God and one in unity.

(5) Similar to point number four, we typically are Monotheistic, meaning we only believe one God exists.

(6) Baptists usually believe in the miraculous virgin birth of Christ and His resurrection. Many “Christians” try coming up with some non-miraculous means by which Christ was born and later rose from the dead. Because Baptists have such a high regard for the Bible, we do not seek to explain away what God has clearly said in it, and it is clear that Christ was born of a virgin and rose from the dead.

(7) Baptists today are typically evangelistic, meaning we believe and participate in sending out evangelists, missionaries and church planters to spread the gospel. Most “Christian” religions today do little if any of this.

(8) Baptists today typically believe in standards and holy living. This seems to be one thing that separates us from other true Christians that aren’t Baptist. I’d say most true Christians probably believe in points one through seven, but a lot of them differ on how to live as a Christian, which is what point number eight deals with. We do not believe that standards and holy living makes us better than everyone else or brings us salvation or anything like that, but we do believe standards can keep us from sin and that living holy is God’s desire for us.

(9) Baptists don’t typically consider themselves to be Protestants, which is what almost every Christian denomination outside of Catholicism believes they are. What this means is that we do not believe that we came out of the Catholic church (which is what the Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, and many others did), but rather that there has always been other Christians not part of the Catholic church of which we trace our linage back to them.

(10) Baptists typically believe in separation of church and state.

(11) Baptists usually believe in only two ordinances: baptism and communion.

(12) Baptists almost always believe in individual soul liberty. What this means is that a person is held responsible for their own actions and inactions and that no other person, apart from Christ, can save us. Practically, this means that someone is not saved just because their parents were—they too must make that decision to trust Christ. Someone cannot get to heaven just because someone was baptized in their place. Every individual bears responsibility for trusting Christ or not trusting Christ.

(13) Most Baptists believe in the priesthood of the believer. This means that a believer can go directly to God (which is what the priests in the Old Testament did) without the aid of another individual (except Christ obviously). I don’t need to confess my sins to a priest, bishop or pastor in order for God to hear me, I can go to Him myself.