As a Southern Baptist church, Level Grove Baptist Church affirms the Baptist Faith and Message (2000) as a clear and faithful summary of biblical Christian belief. The following statements highlight the core doctrines that shape our faith, guide our teaching, and anchor everything we do

as a church:

Salvation is the good news that though we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), God has not left us to fix ourselves or earn our way back to Him. We were created for a relationship with Him, but our sin has separated us from Him (Isaiah 59:2). The Bible teaches that apart from Christ we are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1–3), and no amount of good works or religious effort can make us right with God (Ephesians 2:8–9). But in His great love, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live the perfect life we could never live and to die in our place. On the cross, Jesus bore our sins (1 Peter 2:24), and three days later He rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3–4), defeating sin and death once and for all.

Salvation is not something we achieve; it is something we receive. Scripture teaches that we are saved by grace through faith — not by works (Ephesians 2:8–9). When a person turns from their sin and trusts in Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9–10), God forgives their sin, declares them righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21), and adopts them into His family. This gift is based entirely on Christ’s finished work, not our performance. We don’t obey to earn God’s love — we obey because we’ve already been loved and rescued.

And this salvation is secure because it rests on God’s power and promise, not our ability to hold onto Him. Jesus said that no one can snatch His people out of His hand (John 10:28–29). The evidence of salvation is a transformed life (2 Corinthians 5:17), as God continues the work He began in us (Philippians 1:6). If you feel the weight of your sin or a longing for something more, that may be God drawing you. The invitation of Jesus is simple and life-changing: “Come to me” (Matthew 11:28). Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).

Becoming a member of Lovell Grove means identifying with our church family in faith, fellowship, and mission. Like many Southern Baptist churches, we receive members who have made a personal profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and have followed Him in believer’s baptism by immersion. Baptism doesn’t save us, but it is the biblical step of obedience that publicly declares we belong to Christ and have been made new in Him. Individuals may also join through the transfer of membership from another Bible-believing church where they have already made this same commitment to Christ and been baptized by immersion. Church membership is more than having your name on a roll — it’s a commitment to worship faithfully, grow spiritually, serve joyfully, give generously, and walk in unity with a local body of believers as we seek to make disciples together.

Biblical baptism is the public declaration of a personal faith in Jesus Christ. It does not save us — salvation comes by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9) — but baptism is the first step of obedience for those who have been saved. In Scripture, baptism always follows repentance and belief (Acts 2:38–41). It is an outward expression of an inward transformation. When someone is baptized, they are identifying with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6:3–4). Going under the water symbolizes being buried with Christ; being raised out of the water represents the new life we now have in Him. Baptism is a powerful testimony that we belong to Jesus and are not ashamed to be counted as His.

We practice baptism by immersion because that is the pattern we see in the New Testament. The word “baptize” carries the meaning of immersion, and we see examples of believers going down into the water and coming up out of it (Matthew 3:16; Acts 8:38–39). Immersion most clearly pictures the gospel — death to sin and resurrection to new life. Baptism does not make someone a Christian; it shows that they already are one. It is an act of joyful obedience, a step of surrender, and a celebration within the church family of what God has already done in a person’s heart.