Meadow Brook Baptist Church began in the early 1980's, when the Lord led Crosscreek Baptist Church and the Shelby Baptist Association to start a mission church on the Highway 280 corridor. For the first few years, the small group sought the Lord, striving to grow a core team and secure adequate meeting space. In 1984 Mountain Brook Baptist and Brookwood Baptist partnered to assist the mission by purchasing our present property, sending new members, and providing temporary leadership.
ABOUT US
our story
The church grew and called her first pastor in 1985, completed the first building in 1987, aiming to share the love of Jesus throughout the surrounding community. In 1993, the church called Ron Sumners as pastor, marking a new season of growth in Meadow Brook's history. After Dr. Sumner's retirement, Meadow Brook called Chris Jones to serve as pastor in 2013. The church completed a third building phase in 2019, continuing to trust God to lead her to partner with Christ-centered churches in sharing Jesus throughout our community, city, and world.
OUR MISSION, VALUES, AND STRATEGY
MISSION
SHARING HOPE:
WE POINT OUR NEIGHBORS AND THE
NATIONS TO HOPE IN CHRIST
At Meadow Brook Baptist Church, we are uniquely situated in the heart of Meadow Brook community. Therefore, it is our church’s mission to point our neighbors - those right next door as well as those across the globe - to the hope that is found in Christ. It’s this hope that we want to share as an outpouring of the great commission as we go door to door with the Gospel.
VALUES
gospel first
Our first priority is the need to put the best news first, that Christ died and rose again to give us new life.
better together
This news in turn inspires us to gather together as a church - physically and spiritually.
good news people
Whenever we gather formally as a church or casually in our communities we want to be known as a people that are characterized by joy and hope in Christ.
building bridges
It’s this attitude that should inspire us and allow us to cross barriers and build bridges with those around us.
STRATEGY
GATHER - GROW - SERVE - GO
It’s this attitude that should inspire us and allow us to cross barriers and build bridges with those around us.
What we believe
For more information see the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
The word Gospel simply means Good News. The Good News is that: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
We believe the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God and that people were moved by the Holy Spirit to write words of Scripture. Therefore, the Bible is absolutely true.
We believe in one God who exists in three distinct persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). We believe that Jesus Christ is the second member of the Trinity (the Son of God) who became flesh to reveal God to humans and to become the Savior of the lost world.
We believe that people were created in the image of God to have fellowship with Him, but became alienated from that relationship through sinful disobedience. As a result, people are totally incapable of coming back into a right relationship with God by their own effort.
We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross provides the sole basis for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, salvation only occurs when a person places his faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as the sufficient payment for his sin.
We believe that every Christian should live for Christ and not for themselves. By obedience to the Scripture and daily yielding to the Spirit, every believer will mature and become conformed to the image of Christ.
We believe that the church is the body of Christ of which Jesus Christ is the Head. The members are those who have trusted by faith the finished work of Christ. The purpose of the church is to glorify God by loving Him and by making Him known to a lost world.
We believe Baptism symbolizes the spiritual cleansing through God’s forgiveness and the newness of life experienced, identifying with Christ in death and resurrection by immersion into the water. Baptism provides an opportunity for believers in Jesus Christ to make a formal declaration of their faith before the church.
CHURCH COVENANT
As members of MEADOW BROOK BAPTIST CHURCH, we affirm the following covenant with one another for the glory of God and for the good of this church.
We believe God has extended salvation to us by his grace, leading us to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, giving our lives to Him. Furthermore, having been baptized as followers of Jesus in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we covenant together to glorify God by knowing God through biblical worship, growing together as disciples of Christ, and going throughout the world with the gospel of Christ.
As followers of Christ, we will value worship. We will devote our lives to worship God. We will strive to honor God by gathering together consistently, praying for one another regularly, and serving one another selflessly. Together, we will strive to live lives of obedience to God by submitting to the all-sufficient Word of God.
As followers of Christ, we will value discipleship. We will strive to grow in Christ together by seeking Christ in the home, in the community, and in the church. When we gather, we will pray to the Almighty God, read the Word of God, hear the truths of God, observe the ordinances of God, fellowship in the name of God, and sing to the glory of God, as we anticipate the return of Christ.
As followers of Christ, we will value missions. We will spend our lives to make God known among the lost. Recognizing that Jesus is Lord, we will strive to share and to show the gospel of Jesus Christ in our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our city, and to the ends of the earth. We will generously give time, talents, and resources in support of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel throughout the world.
We believe God has called, entrusted, and equipped pastors/elders to serve and care for this local church by teaching the Scriptures to us and modeling Christ’s character for us. According to the Bible, they are accountable to God for faithful leadership, and we are all accountable to God for faithful obedience. If we move from this local church, we will as soon as possible unite with another local church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.
As members of MEADOW BROOK BAPTIST CHURCH, we affirm this covenant with one another for the glory of God and for the good of this church.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.
Amen.