What We Believe
Ruggles Street Baptist Church was founded on July 26, 1870. In that year, we adopted our Statement of Faith and Church Covenant to express a summary of what we believe and how we should live.
Statement of Faith
From the time of the Early Church to today, Christians have laid out doctrine (beliefs) in brief, definitive statements. As those who know God, we believe it necessary to set forth in a concise fashion the cornerstone truths of our church as guided by Scripture. Our Statement of Faith summarizes essential Christian beliefs, shows unity in Christ, and guards the church from error.
All who join Ruggles Baptist Church are required to affirm this Statement of Faith: the Apostles Creed and an updated version of the New Hampshire Confession of Faith from 1833/53. This statement registers our belief in historic Christianity, evangelical Christianity, believer’s baptism, and congregational polity. As members agree to the statement, we are responsible for believing and living in accordance with it.
Church Covenant
Ruggles has worshiped together under a covenant, or statement on how we agree to live as a church, since our earliest days in 1870. The church covenant is equal parts promise, expectations, ethical statement, and biblical standard. We summarize how we promise to live together in the covenant. It forms the ethics, or the moral principles, of our worldview and holds out a biblical standard by which we live. Our acceptance of this multifaceted document follows the practice of believers throughout the centuries who have pledged to God and one another to live out the gospel in community. We use our covenant in two key ways today. We require all new members to sign it before joining the church. We also reaffirm our commitment to the covenant at members meetings. By featuring the covenant in our life together, we strive to protect ourselves from individual and corporate sin. Of equal importance, we spur one another on to live in light of a greater covenant, one initiated by love, sealed by sacrifice, and kept for eternity by our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Denomination
Ruggles is a member of the American Baptist Churches USA, the American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts (TABCOM)—Boston Southwest Association