Sovereign Grace Baptist Church of Silicon Valley

HISTORY

Sovereign Grace Baptist Church of Silicon Valley was organized on June 19,1994 with twenty members, who covenanted together as a distinct, local body of Christ for their mutual edification (Eph. 4:11-16) and the evangelism of the unconverted (Matt. 28:18-20).

After meeting in the YMCA facility, in Milpitas, California for six years, our gracious Father provided a building for our own place of Worship, in the City of Morgan Hill.

DOCTRINAL DISTINCTIVES

Although the Scriptures are our only rule of both faith and practice, our church historically and doctrinally identifies itself as Calvinistic and Baptist, holding to the First London (1644-46) and Second London (1677, 89) Baptist Confessions as a general expression of our faith.

As Baptists, holding to the progressive revelation of God in Scripture as culminating in the New Testament, we practice believer’s baptism, and that by immersion only. We practice a “close communion,” i.e., the observance of the Lord’s Supper as a church ordinance and thus under its discipline and so limited to church members in good standing only – after the express and inclusive example of the Scriptures. We also hold that the proper elements of this ordinance are unleavened bread and wine.

The distinctives of our church, with its Confessions of Faith, Constitution, Covenant and other peculiarities, are fully set forth in our Church Membership Manual, which is available to those who are considering membership.

CHURCH PHILOSOPHY

Our church believes and preaches the gospel of the free and sovereign grace of God in the salvation of sinners (Rom. 1:16-17; 2Cor. 2:14-17; Eph. 1:3-14), and seeks to gain the widest possible hearing for the truth of the Gospel (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 20:20-21, 26-27). We further believe that an expository ministry which expounds the whole counsel of God is the only approach which consistently glorifies God in obedience to the gospel mandate (Acts 20:20, 26-27). Finally, we hold that it is the clear mandate of God for the pastoral ministry to labor to bring every member to doctrinal and spiritual maturity (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11-16; Col. 1:28-29; 1 Tim 5:17) for the glory of God (1 Cor.10:31).

We believe that biblical preaching is central to the life and worship of the church, and that God has ordained the public preaching of the Gospel as the major means of extending the kingdom in this economy. Believing in the work of the Holy Spirit through the truth in the convicting and converting of sinners, and that men are to be pointed to Christ and urged to faith and repentance in the context of gospel preaching, our church does not use psychological means or programs to promote religious “decisions”.

MISSIONARY OUTREACH

The missionary outreach of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church supports both our evangelistic mission and our goal to edify and equip the saints. Locally, we have a thrice-weekly convalescent hospital visitation ministry and monthly gospel preaching services at the Victory Mission in Salinas, California, and at the Pajaro Mission in Pajaro, California. We support Brother Tom Montgomery's missionary work in Mexico City with financial contributions and supplies of literature which his staff translate into Spanish. We also support the ministries of Mt. Zion Bible Church and Chapel Library at their site.