A BRIEF HISTORY
Stockton Baptist Church had its beginning in 1987 when Rich Carter held tent meetings in town. These meetings generated interest in establishing an independent Baptist church. In February of 1988, meetings started being held in the Legion Hall and the founding date was established as February 20, 1988. In September of 1988, the church acquired use of the current church building which had sat empty for 3 or 4 years during which time it had been vandalized. Being in a state of great disrepair, much cleaning and fixing took place. The church subsequently purchased the property. A complete renovation began in 2007 and the “new” facility was dedicated to the Lord’s use on March 8, 2009. God has brought many wonderful people together through the years and our current church family rejoices that the Lord continues to bless us with joyful worship and encouraging fellowship. To God be the glory, great things He has done!
OUR DISTINCTIVES
We are a Bible-believing Church.
We believe that God supernaturally inspired every letter and word in the Bible in the original languages. Jesus said…
Matthew 5:18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
What was Jesus saying? He was emphatically declaring that God’s Word was unequivocally true and trustworthy. Being God’s inspired and inerrant Word, we strive to teach, preach, and apply it to our daily lives so that we might glorify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We are a Gospel-centered Church.
Our passion is proclaiming the Good News that “Christ came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15) and that “He is able to save to the uttermost all those who come unto God through Him” (Hebrews 7:25; John 14:6).
Not only did the Lord Jesus share with Nicodemus his great need, saying, “You must be born again” (John 3:7), but He also told him of God’s great love –
John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Being Bible-believing and Gospel-centered, we strive to impact our generation both locally and around the world.
We are an Independent Church.
It’s clear that the churches mentioned in the New Testament operated with their own leadership, i.e., their own pastors and deacons. Although there was great respect for the church in Jerusalem, as other churches were started throughout the Roman empire, they each maintained local control. In other words, they operated independently of all other churches. However, the New Testament churches also maintained associations with other Gospel-preaching churches. As needs arose, the churches stepped up to provide what aid they could to their brothers and sisters in Christ. (e.g. 1 Corinthians 16:1-4). We strive to do the same.
Additionally, history has proven that, over time, many denominations start denying major doctrines of the Bible. In order to guard against such doctrinal departure, we have chosen to follow the biblical pattern of being independent.