About | Marion Avenue Baptist Church in Washington, Iowa

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ABOUT US

Learn about Marion Avenue Baptist Church.

Our History

Where We Came From

How It All Began

In the summer of 1973, four families stepped out by faith and purchased the historic Marion Avenue Building with a desire to see a gospel–centered church established.

Pastor Larry Brown

In September of 1973, Larry & Dianne Brown moved from North Carolina to fulfill their calling as the pastor of the Marion Avenue Baptist Church. The church was soon officially launched with just a handful of people with a heart full of faith.

Pastor Joseph Brown

In July of 2011, Pastor Joseph Brown was called to be the second pastor of the Marion Avenue Baptist Church. The church continues to share the timeless truths of God’s Word with the community of Washington, Iowa, and around the world.

Our Beliefs

Our Vision

To remain faithful to the call that Jesus placed on his church in what we call the “Great Commission.” –Matthew 28:19-20

We would love to have you visit us if you desire to find out more about the call of Jesus upon his church and your life. Below you can schedule a visit with us or read our church purpose, beliefs and find out how you fit in to God’s plan.

Our Purpose

Make, Mark & Mature Disciples

Marion Avenue Baptist Church exist to glorify God by Making disciples of Jesus by the spread of the gospel both at home and throughout the whole world. By Marking disciples by baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. And by Maturing disciples by teaching them to observe all things whatsoever Jesus has commanded us.

At Marion Avenue we hope to make last command that Jesus gave his disciples our first priority, it is commonly referred to as the great commission. There is no greater decision that a person has to make than what they are going to do with what Jesus offers them. Jesus loved the world so much that he paid the high price of sin at a place called Calvary so that anyone can have a relationship with God through Him. We want the world to know that through Jesus, there is hope!

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-19)

When we choose to become a Disciple of Jesus Christ we are choosing to become obedient to what Jesus teaches us in His Word (The Bible). After you and I accept Christ as our Saviour one of the first things that we do to obey Jesus is to follow him in what we call Believer’s Baptism. Baptism is how the Bible teaches us that we make public our choice to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It is put simply an outward expression of our inward decision, letting the world know that we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Saviour.

“Acts 2:41a “Then they that glady received his word were baptized;…” (Acts 2:41a)

Happily after you and I have accepted Christ as our Saviour we have just begun our relationship with Him. It is like being a new born with a brand new future ahead of you. Jesus wants you to know him personally. He has a plan for your future that you have embarked on. We want to help you get to know Jesus better and help you to grow in your relationship with Christ. Here at Marion Avenue we want to help you grow in your relationship with Christ.

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18)

Our Process

How to Become a Disciple of Jesus

Salvation from sin is a moment of faith. God says, “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…” (Acts 16:31). This belief is more than a head belief—it’s a heart trust. It means to fully trust Jesus Christ as the only Saviour—the only way to God, the only hope of rescue from separation from God. This is what Jesus called being “born again” in John 3.

The first step of our process in developing devoted followers of Jesus is to help them place their faith—their belief—in Jesus alone as Saviour. This is biblical salvation.

The second step in your relationship with Jesus is baptism. Baptism doesn’t make someone a Christian. It doesn’t wash away sin. It’s simply going public with your faith and choosing to identify with our almighty, merciful Saviour. Jesus was our example in baptism, and He commanded us to be baptized—to publicly show forth our heart decision and faith. Baptism pictures His death, burial, and resurrection. It also pictures your new life in Jesus Christ.

Baptism is one of the first, easiest, and best ways to be a witness to others about your faith in Jesus, and to publicly declare you are not ashamed of Him.

In Acts 2, those who believed were baptized, and then they were added to the church. Once someone has believed in Jesus, their next step is to connect with a family of believers. Through these relationships, a new Christian can grow and mature in the faith and teachings of Jesus. It is our goal for every new believer to be connected with friends and others in the church body who can help you mature and grow in grace.

The primary way we connect and disciple believers is through our Sunday classes and Wednesday Bible study. There’s a place for you, and new friendships are waiting to be discovered!

Statement of Faith

Independent & Unaffiliated in Association - Baptist in Doctrine - Fundamental in Truth

Malls are trendy, churches should be timeless. With the forceful current of constant change sweeping over every part of our lives, people have the need to connect with something enduring and firm. We believe Christ designed the church to fulfill that need by representing an eternal kingdom and ageless truth with no need to imitate the culture. We want you to know that there is still a church that feels like a church. It will not feel like a rock concert, comedy club, or motivational seminar. It is not old-fashioned, as in 50 years ago, it is timeless, as in 2,000 years ago.

We believe the Bible to be the revealed Word of God, fully and verbally inspired of God. We believe the Scriptures to be the inerrant, infallible Word of God, as found within the 66 books from Genesis to Revelation. We believe God not only inspired every word, but also has preserved them through the ages. We believe the King James Version is the preserved, inspired Word of God and is the only acceptable translation for English speaking people.

We believe in one God, who is eternal, self-existent, infinite, and immutable. We believe He has one nature, one essence, and one substance, yet manifests Himself to man in three person: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

We believe Jesus Christ to be the one and only Savior of mankind. We believe Jesus Christ to be eternally God and to possess all the attributes of Deity. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ was virgin born, that He was God incarnate, and the purposes of the incarnation were to reveal God, to redeem man, and to rule over God’s kingdom. We believe Jesus Christ never relinquished his attributes to any of His Deity, but merely unveiled them. We believe He lived a perfect, sinless life, at the end of which He was offered for all mankind as a substitutionary sacrifice for man’s sin. This sacrifice was just a payment to God for the forgiveness of sin. It was activated by His death through the shedding of His innocent blood on the cross and was accepted by God upon His literal, bodily resurrection. We believe He literally and bodily ascended into Heaven after the resurrection to be seated at the right hand of the Father, waiting for the time of receiving His church at the rapture, and returning seven years later to rule and reign as King for 1,000 years.

We believe the Holy Spirit of God is a person who has personality and all the attributes of Deity. We believe the Holy Spirit has always been involved with the affairs of mankind. However, we believe he has a special ministry that began at Pentecost and will continue until the rapture. This ministry includes convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit was also sent to regenerate, sanctify, seal and fill all those who place their faith in Jesus Christ. We believe that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established. We believe that God is Sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts, and that the gift of evangelists and pastor-teachers are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today.

We believe all men were born with an inherited sin nature received from our common ancestor, Adam. We believe that because of his nature, man is a sinner by choice, and he is totally incapable of reforming himself or ceasing from his sin by his own power. We believe the only hope of deliverance for man is a total change of mind concerning his sinful condition and inability to change it, and a turning to Jesus Christ as the only Savior. We believe that only through the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ on the cross can a man be delivered from his sin. We believe in salvation by grace through faith alone. We believe that all those who reject Jesus Christ as their Savior are already condemned to an eternity in a literal Hell.

We believe the church was conceived with the calling of the twelve apostles by Jesus Christ and was born on the day of Pentecost. We believe the local church is God’s only institution to carry out His work today. We believe the local church is composed of members who have been saved and baptized by immersion according to the command of Christ , and have voluntarily united together for the purpose of worship, fellowship, service, and observance of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s supper. We believe all the true believers will be taken up at the rapture, just prior to the tribulation.

We believe in the literal interpretation of the Scriptures in their grammatical and historical context. We believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the church saints, followed by the seven year tribulation. We believe in the pre-millennial return of Christ to the Earth and His literal rule of one thousand years. Following these one thousand years is the Great White Throne judgment and then the new heaven and the new earth.