How do I find the church?

Click here for a map that shows where Faith is located.  Our physical address is 440 North Lake Street, Amherst, Ohio 44001, located across the street from the Amherst Police Station and Lorain County Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  We are conveniently located off State Route 2 at the Oak Pont Road/North Lake Street exit (which is one exit west of State Route 58, and one exit east of Baumhart Road).  A number of attendees live in Amherst, while others travel from nearby communities (Lorain, Elyria, Vermilion, Wakeman, Birmingham, Oberlin, Norwalk).

Our Position on Contemporary Moral Issues

Although we are forgiven and saved from sin by God's grace, every Christian should strive to maintain a lifestyle that is pleasing to God and attractive to others. As Christians, we should obey the Word of our Lord and present our lives wholly to God in gratitude for His great and undeserved mercy toward us. This would include protecting our minds and bodies from impure and destructive influences, speaking with honesty, acting with integrity and cultivating a close relationship with our Savior.

Since everything in this world, including relationships, is corrupted by sin, divorce is a painful reality of life. At the same time, the Bible teaches that marriage is an unqualified commitment of one man to one woman for life. Scripture never encourages divorce, and makes allowance for it only in very particular circumstances. Initiating divorce outside of those particular circumstances is contrary to God's Word and is, therefore, sin. Because of this, we do everything possible to prevent divorce and to encourage couples to seek reconciliation, forgiveness and counseling. At the same time, we want those who have been through a divorce to feel welcome in our fellowship as they seek encouragement and healing.

The Bible teaches that each person is a unique and significant creation of God, made in His image. Therefore, we oppose the destruction of any innocent human life simply because it is unwanted, imperfect, or merely inconvenient. We believe that human life begins at the point of conception and, left in the protection of the womb, will continue to develop. Therefore, we believe that the taking of life by abortion on demand is a sin against all of mankind and against God.

Genesis 1:26, 27; Psalm 139:13-17; Romans 13:8-10

The Bible teaches, in both the Old and New Testaments, that homosexuality is not God's intention for relationships and that homosexual acts are sinful. The temptation toward homosexuality is not sinful, in and of itself, just as other kinds of temptation are not inherently sinful. We encourage those who struggle with homosexual desires to seek counseling and the assistance of the Holy Spirit in conforming to God's standard of sexuality. We further believe that those who struggle with homosexual desires are loved by God as much as any other person, and are to be loved by us as well.

Pastors' Bios

Our Purpose

The purpose of Faith Baptist Church is to continue the work of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:1).  Another way of saying this is that "Our mission is the Great Commission" (Matthew 28:18-20). We want to reach people for Christ and teach them to follow Christ.

We do this by following the pattern of the first church found in Acts 2:42-47. 

What we Believe

We believe in the Authority of the Holy Bible: accepting fully the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God, without error, and therefore sufficient as our authority for faith and practice.  As God's Word, it is the supreme standard by which all behavior, beliefs, and opinions must be measured.

2 Peter 1:19-21;  2 Timothy 3:16, 17; Matthew 5:18

We believe in the One True God: the infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love.  He is the Creator of this world and Upholder of all things.  He is revealed to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: three distinct Persons, yet one in substance and coequal, and each having a distinct role in this world.

Genesis 1:1; Matthew 3:16, 17; Matthew 28:18-20

We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ: the only begotten Son; that without any change in His divine person, He became man through the miracle of the Virgin Birth; that as the perfect Lamb of God He gave Himself in death upon the cross, bearing there the sin of the world while suffering in our place; that He arose from the grave, ascended into heaven, and will return one day for His own.

Luke 1:34-35; John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

We believe in the Holy Spirit: who convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment; that He regenerates and indwells every believer in Christ; that He further empowers and guides believers who daily surrender to Him.

John 14:16, 17; John 16:7, 8; Romans 8:9

We believe in Salvation By Grace Through Faith: that all people are sinners and are therefore under condemnation; that salvation from sin is the free gift of God, not earned by any work of man, but received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; that all true believers receive the gift of eternal life and deliverance from all condemnation; that apart from Christ there is no possible salvation.

Ephesians 2:8, 9; Acts 4:12; Romans 6:23

We believe in the Return of Jesus Christ: to receive His believers into heaven and eternal life, that the time of His return is unknown but may be at any moment; that every person will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation; that Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.

John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; James 5:7, 8

We believe in Righteous Living and Godly Works: not as a means to salvation in any sense, but as its proper evidence and fruit; that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well­being of others; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; and that they should seek to realize for themselves the full stature of maturity in Christ.

Our Values

The Bible is God's inspired Word, the authoritative and trustworthy rule of faith and practice for all Christians.  The Bible is timeless and timely, relevant to the common needs of all people at all times and to the specific problems of contemporary living.  Therefore, we are committed to equipping Christians, through the preaching and teaching of God's Word, to follow Christ in every sphere of life.  We want you to "get into" God's Word so that God's Word gets into you!

The Christian life is a spiritual battle that needs to be constantly reinforced through prayer. Therefore, we will support our ministries, members, and our missionaries in personal prayer, in small group prayer times, and in corporate prayer.

Every individual is the unique creation of God, eternally valuable to Him.  We commit ourselves to love each person with whom we come in contact.  We will accept people where they are, but love them enough to challenge them to become everything God wants them to be.

In today's rapidly changing world, forms and methods must be continually evaluated, and if necessary, altered to fit new conditions.  While proven techniques should not be discarded at whim, we encourage flexibility and adaptability.  Therefore, we will seek to be culturally relevant while remaining doctrinally pure.  Our methods will change so that we can communicate with a changing culture; our message will not change.  We are more concerned with effectiveness in ministry than adherence to tradition.