Our history
Selkirk Baptist Church
Selkirk Baptist Church has been around for a while! We go back to 1880, when James Brown, a local blacksmith became our first pastor, with a congregation of 19 people!
Our denominational label, “Baptist,” goes back even further. It all started in Europe with the Reformation of the Church in the early 16th Century. Then the first Baptist Church in Britain took root in 1611. Today, we’re nearly 2500 Baptist Churches with 180,000 members.
If you would like to know a little more about Baptist churches, visit the Scottish Baptist Union website here.
Of course, a denominational label is nothing in comparison to our identity as followers of Jesus of Nazareth, through Whom we belong to our Heavenly Father, alongside brothers and sisters from the many other Church traditions in the Scottish Borders and beyond.
Selkirk Baptist Church has been around for a while! We go back to 1880, when James Brown, a local blacksmith became our first pastor, with a congregation of 19 people!
Our denominational label, “Baptist,” goes back even further. It all started in Europe with the Reformation of the Church in the early 16th Century. Then the first Baptist Church in Britain took root in 1611. Today, we’re nearly 2500 Baptist Churches with 180,000 members.
If you would like to know a little more about Baptist churches, visit the Scottish Baptist Union website here.
Of course, a denominational label is nothing in comparison to our identity as followers of Jesus of Nazareth, through Whom we belong to our Heavenly Father, alongside brothers and sisters from the many other Church traditions in the Scottish Borders and beyond.
Our Vision
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Know To know Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour |
Grow As a church, to grow up into mature faith in God |
Overflow To overflow with the Good News in service and evangelism |
Jesus told us to go out into all the world to make disciples…Jesus Followers! And that surely starts with room for our friends and neighbours to ask questions, to examine the experience of believers, to test God’s words, and explore faith until they can say they personally KNOW Jesus.
We at church recognise then, that if we are to introduce friends to Jesus, we must provide platforms or safe spaces for our neighbours to explore faith, without feeling pushed, judged or stupid. One such place must be Sunday morning services, accessible to friends seeking to connect with God.
If KNOWING is an early step along the path of following Jesus, then GROWING shortly follows: growing in relationship, understanding and maturity as believers experiencing God in their daily lives. To grow then, requires time together getting close to Jesus and learning from each other. Our Connect Groups provide that space to GROW.
If we are GROWING, our hearts are changing, filling up with Jesus’ love for our neighbour, which will OVERFLOW into Christian service in our homes and workplace, in our church family and our local community. We have stories to tell about what Jesus means to us, what He has done for us, and we take those stories with us into platforms of service like God’s Kitchen.
The Discipleship Pathway then, provides a map and direction of travel for everyone of us to engage in this most amazing calling, to go into the world and make disciples!
We at church recognise then, that if we are to introduce friends to Jesus, we must provide platforms or safe spaces for our neighbours to explore faith, without feeling pushed, judged or stupid. One such place must be Sunday morning services, accessible to friends seeking to connect with God.
If KNOWING is an early step along the path of following Jesus, then GROWING shortly follows: growing in relationship, understanding and maturity as believers experiencing God in their daily lives. To grow then, requires time together getting close to Jesus and learning from each other. Our Connect Groups provide that space to GROW.
If we are GROWING, our hearts are changing, filling up with Jesus’ love for our neighbour, which will OVERFLOW into Christian service in our homes and workplace, in our church family and our local community. We have stories to tell about what Jesus means to us, what He has done for us, and we take those stories with us into platforms of service like God’s Kitchen.
The Discipleship Pathway then, provides a map and direction of travel for everyone of us to engage in this most amazing calling, to go into the world and make disciples!
Our leadership
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When Rev Brian Talbot, our pastor of the past 13 years stepped down in September 2020 an Interim Leadership Team was appointed to ensure that there was continuity within the church and to seek the shape of what should some next.
In March 2021 we elected a new leadership team comprising; Andy Carter Norman Given Iain Harris Martin Johnson Dougie Kennedy David Neilson Christine Pettie Andrew Rollinson The team comprises two complimentary groups, and Administration Team and a Pastoral Team. The Administration Team deal with issues relating to finance, property and administration, while the pastoral team focus on the Sunday worship, pastoral support and prayer. The two teams work together on issues such as strategic planning and discerning Gods direction for the church. The Administration team include; Andy Carter (Chairman of the Administration Team and Secretary to the Combined Leadership Team) Martin Johnson David Neilson Christine Pettie (Treasurer) The Pastoral team comprises; Norman Given Iain Harris (Chairman of the Combined Leadership Team) Dougie Kennedy Andrew Rollinson (Chairman of the Pastoral Team) Please continue to pray for us as we seek to serve God and build His kingdom here in Selkirk. |
Connections
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Connections, 35 Back Row
Selkirk Baptist Church owns a building in the centre of Selkirk called Connections. Our office is here, and in normal times many of our mid-week activities are based here. On Sundays the building hosts God’s Kitchen, an informal time of hospitality and worship. We look forward to resuming these activities when lockdown eases. At present, the building is used by Selkirk Food Bank as the hub of their operation, so we need to make sure that we avoid going to the building as this may hinder that important work. |