What to Expect

We use the English Standard Version (ESV). When God originally gave his word to humanity, he used the common language of their day. Consequently, we believe that a translation of the Bible for our culture should use common, modern English. This makes the Bible easily understandable—a matter of vital importance since God intended for us to read his word and have our lives changed by it. The ESV is an accurate version. The translators did not sacrifice faithfulness to the content of God’s message in the original languages for the sake of clarity in English. Its balance of accuracy and clarity is superb. For a summary of its value, see this PDF resource:

Why Our Church Switched to the ESV by Kevin DeYoung, © 2011. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.

We shape our worship services according to the "regulative principle of worship." This means that our worship services may only contain elements prescribed by Scripture. This precludes many of the novel ideas that have crept into churches in recent years. Furthermore, we use a traditional musical style, whether the songs are historical or recent compositions. We do this for two reasons. First, it helps us maintain our connection with previous generations of believers. Second, "contemporary” services characteristically employ sensual, worldly, and man-centered styles  that are inconsistent with the worship of our holy God. We believe that singing Christ-honoring sacred music--far from being dull and lifeless--is an engaging, purposeful, and profoundly meaningful exercise. See "Why We Sing in Worship" for full explanation.

For further reading, see the pamphlet entitled, What Does God Look for in a Church?

We believe that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, including the gift of tongues, were given at the beginning of the church age (Acts 2), in close connection with the ministry of the twelve apostles (Eph 2:20; entire book of Acts). These gifts were given as a “sign,” validating and further explaining the new message of salvation for all people through Jesus Christ (1 Cor 14:22). After the completion of the New Testament Scriptures, these gifts were no longer necessary, and they therefore “ceased” (1 Cor 13:8-12). The recent revival of the exercise of these “sign” gifts in the modern Charismatic Movement appears to be a man-made phenomenon, with no genuine historical basis from the second through the nineteenth centuries. We therefore do not pursue the exercise of these “miraculous” gifts.

You are welcome in our services regardless of how you dress. We do encourage those who attend our worship services to dress in a way that reflects a respectful attitude toward God, who is the focus of our worship.

At Huron Baptist Church we believe the nursery is a vital part of our overall ministry structure. As adults participate in various ministries, they need to know that their children will be cared for in a clean and safe environment. Our nursery facilities are well lit, structured, and sanitary. Our nursery workers are screened and trained in the terms of our Child Protection Policy before they can help in this ministry. Our nursery is always well staffed so that the needs of every child are met. You can worship worry-free, knowing that the care of your child is one of our primary concerns. This ministry accommodates newborns through three years of age. In summary, our nurseries have/are:

• Well-staffed at every service
• Clean and sanitary environment
• Trained and screened workers
• High regard for each child’s safety
• Loving instruction

Removing denominational labels from churches is a growing trend in American Christianity. Many believe that this broadens the appeal of a church and makes it seem more inviting. However, this change almost always marks a shift away from the belief that a church’s doctrine (specific teaching) is important. The name “Baptist” historically referred to churches that affirm specific biblical doctrines. Among them are:

• New Testament authority
• Believer's baptism
• Pure church membership
• Individual Christian responsibility
• Congregational government
• Separation of Church and state

HBC is a Baptist church because we believe each of these teachings reflects biblical truth and is, therefore, very important.

For further information, see Baptist Distinctives and New Testament Church Order, by Kevin Bauder.

Through the years, the name “fundamentalism” has suffered greatly in the arena of public discourse, particularly at the hands of the media. Today you will hear it used to describe people guilty of cult-like fanaticism or even vicious hate crimes (cf. “Islamic fundamentalism”). However, when the term originated in 1922, it referred specifically to a viewpoint that has always been characteristic of biblical Christianity. Historically, fundamentalism is a commitment to these three principles:

• Churches (and Christians in general) must believe and obey the clear teachings of the Bible.
• Churches must separate from others (whether ecclesiastical organizations or professing Christians) who deny or refuse to obey the clear teachings of the Bible.
• Churches have the responsibility to expose and oppose such error for the sake of the purity of the church.

These principles rest upon clear biblical commands. Therefore, HBC is a fundamental church in this historic sense of the term.

We embrace the following Scriptural doctrines:

• Human beings are born in a state of total depravity, having no ability in themselves, apart from the direct intervention of God, to please Him or obey the demands of the Gospel (Eph 2:1-3; John 6:44; Rom 8:7-8; 1 Cor 2:14).
• God has chosen certain individuals to receive the benefits of the salvation He offers (Eph 1:4-5, 11; 1 Thes 1:4; 1 Pet 1:1-2; Acts 13:48). This choice was based on His good pleasure alone, and not on anything foreseen in the individual (Eph 1:4-5 Rom 9:10-21; John 1:12-13).
• When God draws an individual to salvation, the drawing is effective. He makes the person able and willing to respond in faith to the Gospel message (John 6:37; Acts 16:14; Rom 8:30).
• Those who have been genuinely converted will persevere in the faith and in good works (Heb 3:14; 1 John 3:1-10).
• Christ’s atoning death on the cross made the offer of salvation available to all (1 Tim 2:6; 4:10; 1 John 2:2; 2 Pet 2:1), and secured the salvation of the elect (John 10:11, 15).
• The Church is responsible to proclaim to all people the message of salvation, urging them to obey the Gospel (Mat 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor 5:11, 18-20).

Huron Baptist Church is an independent congregation. We believe that each local New Testament body of believers should be autonomous (self-governing) and free from any outside coercion or rule. We do cooperate with other churches of like faith and practice for the purposes of fellowship and mutual ministry endeavors that help fulfill the biblical mission (e.g. church planting).

Our pastor preaches expository messages. This means that he bases his sermon on a passage of Scripture and allows it to determine the main idea and structure of the message. He also frequently teaches through complete books or large sections of the Bible, proceeding paragraph by paragraph. We believe that this approach is the best possible form of preaching because it enables the pastor to proclaim the truth of the Bible clearly and accurately. It also "feeds" the audience with a better understanding of God's word rather than giving them a diet of man-made ideas.