What We Believe

Phillips Memorial Baptist Church, an American Baptist Churches, USA congregation, is a non-creedal church that upholds the autonomy of the local congregation, the freedom of the individual soul, and the responsibility of both to be in communion with the Creator, to be led by the Spirit in walking in the footsteps of Christ, and to be responsible for God’s creation and for one-another.

While we are non-creedal people, our ministry statement reflects our values and commitments as God’s people gathered in this place.

Ministry Statement

Reflective of God’s love, and responsive to our evolving community’s diverse needs, Phillips Memorial Baptist Church strives to be an inclusive, nurturing, and Christ-centered church family. We are an open and loving community of faith for all people, of every age, race, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, cultural background, socio-economic status, mental or physical ability, marital status, and any other distinctions of society.

We follow in the tradition of the Baptist distinctives of biblical freedom, soul freedom, church freedom, and religious freedom. Described succinctly in Walter B. Shurden’s Four Fragile Freedoms these are:

Biblical Freedom, which is the historic Baptist affirmation that the Bible, under the Lordship of Christ, must be central in the life of the individual and church, and that Christians, with the best and most scholarly tools of inquiry, are both free and obligated to study and obey the Scripture.

Soul Freedom, which is the historic Baptist affirmation of the inalienable right and responsibility of every person to deal with God without the imposition of creed, the interference of clergy, or the intervention of government.

Church freedom, which is the historic Baptist affirmation that local churches are free, under the Lordship of Christ, to determine their membership and leadership, to order their worship and work, to ordain whom they perceive as gifted for ministry, and to participate in the larger Body of Christ, of whose unity and mission Baptists are proudly a part.

Religious Freedom, which is the historic Baptist affirmation of freedom of religion, freedom for religion, and freedom from religion, insisting that Caesar is not Christ and Christ is not Caesar.

We welcome all people and believe that all people are equally created in God’s image, equally called to faith and ministry, and equally gifted by God’s Spirit. We are a member of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, and a proud LGBTQIA+ ally congregation.

Phillips Memorial Baptist Church
565 Pontiac Ave
Cranston, RI 02920
Office phone: 401-467-3300

Office Hours
Monday-Friday 9:00am-2:00pm

Worship
Sundays at 10:00am