The lordship of Christ that sets us free to be our true selves;

The authority of the bible, because in the bible we learn about Christ;

Believers' baptism, because it expresses a truly personal faith;

A free or believers' church, because it is a genuine expression of Christian community and consists of people who have made a "covenant" commitment to each other;

The priesthood of all believers, because it affirms the place of all Christians in the worship and service of God;

Church membership and Church Members' Meetings, because in this way we can all take responsibility for the life of the church;

Interdependance, because we need each other and each church needs other churches;

Sharing the faith, because we are people of conviction and want others to become part of us;

Religious freedom, because only free faith is true faith and all should have the freedom to come to their own convictions.

Together these beliefs create a distinctive identity for Baptist churches.

( extract from Baptist Churches: An Introduction, by Dr Nigel G Wright)