In short, Baptists are people who believe in God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit (the Triune God). We emphasize that faith is based on what Jesus said and did. You can find most relevant information about Baptists in the booklet "FAQ on Baptists". Baptists are considered the world's largest Protestant church society. In Denmark, we are part of the country's oldest free church, founded in Copenhagen in 1839, 10 years before the Constitution secured religious freedom in Denmark. The Baptist Church, like the Danish State Church, belongs to the Protestant churches. The two main differences between the Baptist Church and the Danish State Church are:
1) The Baptist Church is independent of the state. Each congregation is an independent entity, both financially and decisively. This means that we only have the money that we can obtain ourselves and that we can decide for ourselves how to manage that money.
2) In the Baptist Church, we practice the baptism of believers, ie. that we do not baptize our children as small, but that anyone who personally believes in Jesus as the Son of God and the Lord and Savior of the world can be baptized and thus become a member of the congregation. However, we also include people who would like to be a member but are baptized as a child and do not want to be baptized again.
In the Baptist Church, we emphasize the individual's faith in God. It is important for us to emphasize that every human being is loved by God; that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, gave His life on the cross for every man; that every man himself must accept God in their lives.
Where the personal has its strongest expression is in the baptism. We see baptism as the final yes from God to the individual and likewise our yes to God. We see baptism as an initiation to serve God. We take it seriously when Jesus in the New Testament in Mark 16:16 says: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, ..."
At the same time, we see baptism as a symbolic act that emphasizes what happens to a human being when he/she starts believing in God. Paul writes in Romans 6: 4-5: Jesus died and was buried but was resurrected by the power of God. Similarly, our old life is dead, and it was buried when we were baptized so that we could live a whole new life.
Being baptized in a Baptist church also means joining the Baptist congregation. In Denmark, the Baptist Church is a free church that is not part of the State Church. Being a free church means independence from the state when it comes to finance, belief, worship or other activities. But first and foremost, the free church is a community of believing people who have chosen this community, which allows for a strong personal commitment. Being a member of the Baptist Church offers the opportunity to have fellowship with other Christians both in the service and in smaller groups. In the Baptist Church, all people are welcome to come and join.
