Building colour 7

As a church we have been on the Ramridge Estate since 1954.  The church was built by volunteers on a piece of land set aside when the estate was built, and the founding membership was made up from a number of different denominations in the area who shared the same vision.

We are Baptists, which is basically a type of church that emerged in the early 17th century.  We believe much the same as most other churches, but there are certain characteristics that set us a part.  These include the practice of believer’s baptism (we only baptise those who make a profession of faith), congregationalism (important decisions about the church are made by the members of the church rather than a leadership team), and church independence (we are autonomous as a church and our finances come from the members of the church rather than an outside organisation).  Also the early Baptists were characterised by their support of religious freedom – that a person should be able to believe whatever they want without fear of persecution or arrest. 

For more on this visit the BUGB website (Baptist Union of Great Britain, of which we are a member)

Mission and Vision

Early in 2010 the church came together to refresh our mission statement and vision for Ramridge as a church and create an up-to-date focus of the purpose of Ramridge.

Our Mission Statement

To serve God through:

Worship – A lifestyle that reflects Jesus
Discipleship – Developing effective Christian lives
Community – Supporting each other and reaching out to all.

Our Vision Statement

Reaching out with the Message of hope
Building faith and passion for God and a
Community with Jesus at the centre.

Characterised by being:

  • A church centred on prayer, vibrant in worship and eager to serve God, offereing encouragement, support and pastoral care.
  • A place to encounter Jesus and learn how to follow him, valuing the Bible as God’s Word for today, relevant and essential to all ages and backgrounds
  • Known in the locality a as Family Church, welcoming, accepting, and offering hope through Jesus
  • A ‘light’ in the Community – standing for fairness, truth and justice; generating interest in what we do; open to meet and share our faith.

As a Baptist church, and member of the BUGB we subscribe to their Declaration of Principle, which is as follows:

  • That our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, is the sole and absolute authority in all matters pertaining to faith and practice, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, and that each Church has liberty, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to interpret and administer His laws.
  • That Christian Baptism is the immersion in water into the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, of those who have professed repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ who ‘died for our sins according to the Scriptures; was buried, and rose again the third day’.
  • That it is the duty of every disciple to bear personal witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to take part in the evangelisation of the world.