Church Life
Christians Growing Strong Together

Our Goals

What are we aiming to do as a church? Let’s summarise our goals briefly in three words beginning with ‘M’.

Maturity

We want every person to grow in Christian maturity. That means:
  • Christians who are growing in their understanding of God and his word, the Bible;
  • Christians who are growing in their love for God and other people;
  • Christians who are working hard to live a life that pleases God.

Ministry

“Ministry” simply means “serving”. Jesus came into the world to serve others. He died to serve others!
  • So we want to be a serving church.
  • We want to be Christians who use their time, energy, talents and resources to serve and benefit others in the church.

Mission

Jesus gave his followers a mission: “Go and make disciples of all nations”. We want to play our part by:
  • telling our neighbours and friends about Jesus,
  • telling our wider community about Jesus,
  • and sending and supporting missionaries who will go even further with the good news!

Growth Groups

These are our small group Bible studies. We have a number of “Growth Groups” that meet during the week to study the Bible, pray together, and care for one another. We encourage everyone to be part of both the big meeting (Sunday morning) and a smaller gathering (such as Growth Groups) during the week.

 

Training

All Christians need training to live for Jesus, and serve others. We provide “general training” - applicable to every Christian, such as how to share the gospel; and “special training” - which helps particular people in the church, for example Youth leaders. 

We also occasionally run courses for people who are investigating Christianity. We want to be flexible enough to run the right course for the right people at the right time. If you’d like to know more, or you are interested in taking part in such a course, let us know via the church office.

 

Volunteers

Churches can only do what they do because Christian people serve and work together. There are lots of ways that people serve in our church:

  • welcoming people to church, playing a musical instrument, reading the Bible or praying in the service
  • teaching a Sunday School class, or serving the morning tea
  • leading a mid-week Bible study, or serving in a leadership role
  • visiting the sick or elderly, or looking after the gardens and grounds
  • meeting an individual for Bible study, or making a meal for family with a new baby

Some volunteer roles are upfront and visible, while others are in the background and largely unseen; some happen on Sundays, while other opportunities for service come up during the week.  But no matter what service is offered, it all is important and helps make us a healthy church.

 

Missionaries

We want everyone to have the opportunity to come to know Jesus and put their trust in him.  Individually and corporately we are keen to tell anyone the good news about Christ.  As a church we are also prayerfully and practically supporting mission partners working in New Zealand and overseas.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I join this church?
The best way to join in with the church is to show up! Come along on Sundays, get to know people and let people get to know you too. Keep an eye out for other weekly or one-off events that interest you too.
2. How can I get baptised?
When someone is baptised at Hastings Baptist Church, two things are happening. Firstly, the individual is saying “God has saved me, I am ‘with Jesus’ in his death and resurrection, I am a Christian”. Secondly, the church is saying “yes, we think God has saved you too, and we are affirming your Christian faith”. Obviously there are things you need to be sure of, and things we’d like to know about you.

If baptism is the next step for you, that’s exciting! Do have a chat with a pastor or an elder and we can discuss this more fully.

3. How can I become a member?
Baptist churches need members. People who are committed to the church keep the church going! Members of this church are (a) ordinary Christian people, (b) who have been baptised as a demonstration of their faith. (c) They are committed to growing and serving in this particular congregation.

If you’re thinking of becoming a member here talk to one of the church's leaders.

4. How can I start serving?
Churches can only do what they do because Christian people serve & work together. There are lots of ways to serve, from mowing lawns to playing music, from teaching Kidzown to joining the kitchen team, from operating the sound gear to being a welcomer.

If you’re interested in serving, have a chat to the person who is in charge of the team you are looking to join. Or you could call our office during the week and find out more.

5. How can I give financially?
Some people give money to support the church through the ‘collection box’ on Sunday morning. Others give money automatically through their bank.

Whichever way you want to go, call/email our church office to find out more. We can set you up with your own giving code so that your gifts are acknowledged by receipt each financial year and you are eligible for a tax return on your giving.

For online giving, the church's bank account number is 38-9016-0609823-00.

6. How can I find help?
There are times in life when we need extra help. Sometimes we require spiritual or emotional help/input, at other times we need practical help or care. Sometimes you’d simply like someone else to be aware of what’s going on and to pray for you.

If you require particular help, please chat to a pastor or elder at church. Alternatively you could call/email the church office during the week. From there we can agree on what help is available, or if there is someone else that we could refer you on to.

Websites to Resource Growing Christians

Matthias Media
Matthias Media is an evangelical publishing ministry which focuses on providing high-quality, biblical resources—resources for Outreach, Follow-up, Growth and Training.
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Good Book Company
The Good Book Company aims to produce resources which put the word of God in the driving seat, helping Christians to open up the Bible for themselves.
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GoThereFor.com
GoThereFor.com is an online library where gospel-minded Christians can find resources, ideas and encouragement for fulfilling Christ’s commission to make disciples of all peoples.
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CE Ministries
Christianity Explored is a way of sharing the best news ever heard, and gives people space and time to think about the big questions of life. Over 7 sessions in Mark's Gospel, people find out more about the life of the person at the heart of the Christian faith - Jesus Christ.
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Vocational Bible College
VBC aims to equip reformed, evangelical churches to train the next generation of everyday Christian leaders through Vocational Education and Training.
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Equip Conference
The Equip Conference is a week of challenging and inspiring teaching, training in practical areas of ministry, and fellowship with believers from around the country.
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Read Scripture
This smartphone app makes reading scripture engaging and accessible for everyone — to those who know nothing about scripture and those who have been reading the Bible for years.
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PrayerMate
PrayerMate is a smartphone app for organising personal prayer points. You can connect to the monthly prayer diary for Hastings Baptist through this app, as well as many other mission agencies.
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ChildSafe
ChildSafe have developed a safety management system to assist organisations that work with children and young people.
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Elvanto
Elvanto is an online church management system that we use to help keep track of people, events and volunteers.
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Baptist Union
The Baptist Union is an association of self-governing Baptist churches.
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