Who We Are
What does Broadway believe?
One way of answering this question is by pointing to some Guiding Statements adopted by the church a few years ago.
Broadway is not big on conformity, and—historically, at least—neither have been Baptists. One of our beloved former pastors, Chris Caldwell, often said, “If you have never disagreed with anything I have said from this pulpit, then one of two things is true: Either I’m not much of a preacher, or you’re not much of a Baptist.”
Freedom, as they say, has a price, and one of the small prices is that it’s not easy to offer a statement of beliefs.
But there are values and beliefs we hold in common, and there is a harmonious spirit in the church. In addition to the Guiding Statements, take a look below at Why Christ? Why Church? Why Broadway Baptist Church?
Why Christ? Because…
In Christ our deepest needs are met.
In Christ our hardest questions are addressed.
In Christ our noblest aspirations are inspired.
Why The Church? Because…
In a clamoring world, anxious souls need worship’s stillness and prayer’s peace.
When life hurts, everyone needs a community that listens and cares.
As society lusts after the latest thing, we who are the Church pass noble teachings and eternal truths from generation to generation.
As lives are tossed by life’s currents, God’s truths are touchstones that ground our lives in faith and renew our lives through hope.
In a society too wrapped up in the small package of me, we who are the Church proclaim Christ’s promise of a robust life—rooted not in getting and being served, but in giving and serving others.
Why Broadway Baptist Church? Because…
In a society of binary thinking and shouted opinions, we who are Broadway welcome thoughtful challenges and learn through civil conversations.
When people face change—beginning or ending a marriage, growing up or growing old, moving to a new community or to a new nation—we who are Broadway want to help.
In a part of our city where poverty and injustice too often are met with apathy’s cold smile, we try to cultivate hearts that listen, voices that speak, and hands that serve.
As many churches understandably choose worship in the vein of popular culture, we celebrate the rich heritage of worship where high standards are pursued and God’s loving mystery is sought.
When for many “Baptist” means closed minds and imposed conformity, we keep alive the true Baptist heritage of independent thinking and of religious liberty for people of all faiths or of no faith.
Guiding Statements
Our Mission
We seek to learn, live and proclaim Christ’s message of grace, hope and love through worship, fellowship and service.
Our Vision
We Strive To:
- Nurture personal relationships with Jesus Christ.
- Help believers discover and practice their spiritual passions and gifts.
- Be a caring fellowship of Christians ministering to all ages.
- Live the love of Christ by bearing one another’s burdens.
- Understand and respond to the needs of the community.
- Discover ways to join in ministry with people of other cultures.
- Invite all in our diverse community to join us in worship, fellowship and service.
- Embrace change while honoring our church’s rich heritage and traditions.
Our Values
We Believe:
- We are as children of God, each equal in God’s eyes.
- In the Good News of God’s love as revealed in Jesus Christ our Savior.
- In the necessity and power of prayer.
- The Bible is the revealed Word of God and a daily guide for living.
- In the Baptist heritage of a free church and a free conscience.
- Every individual is a minister responsible for finding and using his or her gifts.
- We are an instrument of collective action called to do God’s work on Earth.
- In carrying Christ’s healing message to a broken world.
Baptist Freedoms
Our Church Affirms Its Traditional Baptist Heritage Based On Our Belief In:
- Bible Freedom—to read and study the Bible for ourselves
- Soul Freedom—to come to God without anybody telling us how we must do it
- Church Freedom—to decide for ourselves how we can best work for God in our world
- Religious Freedom—to worship as we choose and to give that same right to everyone else
Our church has long valued its Baptist freedoms. As a result of our commitment to freedom, in November 2001, we voted as a church to end our relationship with the Southern Baptist Convention. The church continues its affiliation with the Kentucky Baptist Convention, the Long Run Baptist Association, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
A Statement of Faith and a Declaration of Conscience
(Unanimously adopted by the members of Broadway Baptist Church on October 15, 2000.)
Events and trends among religious groups in the United States during the past two decades have presented crucial issues of faith and conscience for Baptists concerned for ethical integrity and doctrinal fidelity.
Broadway Baptist Church stands committed to certain historic Baptist convictions which continue to guide its ministry and witness.
The members of Broadway Baptist Church, Louisville, KY therefore wish to affirm those principles of biblical interpretation and theological commitments which are at the heart of the identity and mission of this historic church.
We Affirm:
- The authority of the Old and New Testament Scripture as understood in the light of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ (I Tim 3:16)
- That Christ is Lord of life and is the norm of all Christian understandings of the nature of God and humanity, life in the world, and is the gift of God for human redemption (Col 2:9; Matt 5:21-48)
- The separation of church and state involving freedom for all people to worship God according to the dictates of conscience and their understandings of truth (Acts 17:26)
- The priesthood of each believer before God by which we have direct access to and responsibility before God as Creator, Redeemer and Judge (1 Pet 2:9)
- The freedom of conscience under the Lordship of Christ by which believers exercise competency of soul in the community of faith to understand and act upon the will of God for one’s personal and social life.
- The equality of all people before God who has created both male and female in the image of God. All Christians are to serve as ministers of the Gospel (Eph 4:12) and there is to be no discrimination against persons based on gender, race, social standing or ethnic origin in the body of Christ (Gal 3:28)
- The autonomy of the local church in all matters pertaining to polity, discipline and decisions relating to larger associations which are in all cases to be democratic in organization and open to participation by all members.
- Broadway Baptist affirms our faith and freedom in Christ above conformity to denominational orthodoxy and declare our invitation to all people to share with us in our pilgrimage of faith.