– Prov 29:18
“WHERE THERE IS NO VISION,    
THE PEOPLE PERISH”

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Our History

Millington Baptist Church was formed in 1851 by members of the Mt. Bethel Baptist Church in Warren, NJ who were released for this purpose.

During the fall of 1850 and the spring of 1851 the church at Mt. Bethel, under the pastoral care of the Rev. E. C. Ambler, was blessed with the most extensive revival ever known in this area.  A general spiritual reawakening swept the entire countryside.  Whole families were brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and it was to accommodate these people in the Liberty Corner-Millington area that the desire to start an independent church was born.  Some of the members of the Mt. Bethel Church met at the Pleasant Valley School (located near the present Veterans Administration property) on May 2, 1851.  At that time it was decided to organize a new Baptist Church.  On May 4th, the Mt. Bethel Church gave a letter of dismissal to 80 of its members to form a new church.  On May 20th, the new church was organized and adopted Articles of Faith (New Hampshire Confession) and a Church Covenant.  On May 21st, the Council of Recognition met with representatives of Baptist Churches from the area of New Brunswick to Morristown.  On May 24th, the members adopted “Rules of Order” and “Articles of Discipline”.

After consideration of several sites, it was decided to erect a House of Worship “at the Junction of the new road”.  Until the completion of the new church edifice on September 29, 1852, meetings were held in the Pleasant Valley School House. 

After several expansion programs over the years it was decided that a new sanctuary must be built.  On March 3, 1974, a new building was dedicated to the glory of God.

In the late 1990s, a strategic focus was placed on the ministry to reach the next generation, eventually this was called “Liquid.” By the year 2007, the ministry had grown so exponentially, that MBC sent out many of its members and one of its pastors to officially plant Liquid Church, still a thriving ministry throughout many parts of NJ today. 

During this same time the MBC missions program expanded and began a strategic partnership in Senegal. In 2011, another exciting construction project, the Youth and Family ministries building was completed and in 2015-16, the education building and the sanctuary underwent renovations.

Since its original eighty members in 1851, Millington Baptist Church has remained faithful to the call to preach the gospel and to make disciples. We have remained a constant presence in our community; and we have enjoyed God work through strategic missionary partnerships across the globe.

The focus of our history is not about the successes of any particular church or individual. Rather, it is about the triumph of the one true God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is building His church. On the great, wide stage of the drama of human redemption, MBC has been privileged to play a small role.

May the Lord of all history continue to find us faithful to His call and use us for His purposes in the future. Millington Baptist Church was founded by God fearing people, and through the years the proclamation of the Gospel has been carried on by their successors.  “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He who has the Son has life.”  I John 5:11-12 (NIV).

Our values and beliefs

Pull up a chair and take a seat at our MBC family table as we collectively aspire to glorify God and explore what it truly means to share a seat at His table. MBC is a multi-generational, family-friendly community, focused on an authentic, unwavering commitment to God’s word, each other, and the neighborhood around us. We are committed to making a difference by empowering people to embrace God’s missional mandate to love and serve our neighbors around the corner and throughout the world. 

With the Lord’s leading, MBC is steadfast in our pursuit for growth and renewal. We continue to journey together to fulfill the vision of hope that has been revealed to us. This is a great time to be part of this church.  If we, as a community, truly embrace the idea that we are the called out people of God (1 Pet 2:9) then we must accept that we are called to live in greatness. If we are living this out then it will be evident both inside and outside of the MBC walls.

As a community living in hope, our mission is to be more inclusive – openly welcoming people from any place or walk of life – and united in the campaign to pursue a multi-generational, family-centered body. There is much to look forward to. Journey with us.

OUR MISSION | Our church exists to bring glory to God through lives transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

OUR VISION |  God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, as an act of profound love to secure us a seat at His table. We embrace others by passionately proclaiming and sacrificially demonstrating the gospel. We envision a Christ-centered community filled with inter-generational relationships, exemplifying intentional spiritual formation, and unleashing unprecedented compassion on our community and world. As a result, we want to see God’s table expanded for His glory. Join Pastor Dave Hentschel as he casts our vision Expanding the Table of the Glory of God in the sermon below.

RENEW | Together we seek to renew, to come alive and rekindle the wonder of life and God, and to be the people we are called to be. more…

GROW | We desire to see 100% of members and regular attenders ENGAGED in one or more of our varied and vibrant spiritual growth or service ministries. more… 

CONNECT |  We cultivate a welcoming and compelling environment where new guests will be EMBRACED as family by communicating and leading them through a pathway of deeper connection. more…

ACT | Young families will be the fastest growing segment of our church body with a special focus on OUTREACH to the local community. more…

Congregation seated

 

1. Gospel Centered | We believe the Gospel is the core of everything. God has given everything for us so we are called to give everything for Him. Therefore, we respond to His great love by extending grace to everyone and giving Him first place in our lives. (Rom 5:1, 12:1-2; Gal 2:20, 3:1-4, 5:1-15; Eph 2:1-10)

2. Biblically Grounded & Culturally Relevant | We engage the culture AND remain doctrinally pure. This is our calling: to contextualize the timeless message of the Gospel for our generation. (1 Corinthians 9:19–23; Act 17:16-34; 2 Tim 3:16-17).

3. Passion for the Mission of God Locally & Globally | We desire to reach our world and love our neighbor. (Matt 28:18-20; Luke 10:25-37; Gen 12:1-3). We also believe the church should reflect the diversity of its community, ethnically and
demographically. (Eph 2:11-22)

4. Intentional Spiritual Formation | We pursue deliberate discipleship while being  dependent upon God for true spiritual formation. Growth is slow and non-linear where the Spirit of God shapes us into the image of Jesus. (1 Thes 5:23-24; 2 Pt 3:18)

5. Authentic Community | We strive to be
merciful and accepting. We also don’t shy away from hard conversations that may hold each other accountable. We believe it’s OK not to be OK, it’s just not OK to stay there. (Heb 10:19-25; Eph 3:14-21)

6. Servant-Leaders | We believe a fully engaged follower of Christ is a servant-leader (Mark 10:35-45). Every member is a minister. Every Christian has been given spiritual gifts to be discovered, developed, and deployed. (Eph 4:1-16)

7. Strong Families | We want to build strong families and be a place of restoration, care and support for those without a family. In a world where we have seen the breakdown of the family impact our society in negative ways, we believe in the importance of resourcing and building strong families with intentional support for both healthy marriages and godly parenting. (Eph 5:21-6:3; Prov 22:6)

1.  We believe that the Bible, composed of the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God, is inerrant in the original manuscripts, and is the supreme and final authority in life and faith.

2.  We believe in one eternal God existing equally in three eternal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
 
3. We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, that He is true God and true Man, and that He is the only and sufficient Mediator between God and man.
 
4. We believe that the Holy Spirit is the divine person given by God to indwell and equip every believer to glorify Christ.
 
5. We believe that Satan is a created, fallen spiritual being, the unholy god of this age, the author of sin, and destined to judgment in the lake of fire.
 
6. We believe that man was created in the image of God but sinned and thereby incurred spiritual death, which is separation from God. Therefore, all mankind is born with a sinful nature in need of regeneration.
 
7. We believe that Jesus died in our place for our sins, that He arose from the grave and ascended into heaven, and that he will return personally and visibly to earth.
 
8. We believe that the gift of salvation is offered by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, not by man’s works, and that this salvation gives the believer direct access to God.
 
9. We believe that all who have trusted in Christ as Savior and Lord are guaranteed their salvation by God from the moment they trust in Him.
 
10. We believe that those who trust in Christ should be baptized by immersion in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe that baptism depicts the essential facts of redemption: the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. We believe that baptism also symbolizes what is true in the lives of those who have trusted in Christ: they are dead to sin and alive to Christ.
 
11. We believe that the Lord’s Supper (Communion) is a commemoration of the Savior’s death, and, through participating, we “proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”
 
12. We believe that the church (local) is comprised of believers in Christ who are joined together for the glory of God through worship, instruction, evangelism, service, and fellowship. Christ’s charge to the church is to make disciples around the world

REMEMBER

“We must, with God’s help, learn to cling to that rare
and wonderful thing called hope. Otherwise, we are destined for despair…”
– Lee Strobel

 

King Solomon wrote:
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Prov 13:12)

 

A Call to Live in Hope

Let Hope In |  The writer of Hebrews tells us faith is the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1). At times, biblically speaking, faith and hope are used interchangeably – if we have faith then our hope, both in this life and the next, is assured. Faith provides substance to our ultimate hope – even if we can’t see it yet. Our longing for meaning, acceptance, purpose, connection, passion, and salvation is grounded in love; and when we put our faith in God’s great act of love – it breeds hope. This love was initiated by the birth of a baby in a stable, achieved through a bloody sacrifice on a cross, and ultimately realized when something supernatural happened in history…someone came back from the dead. This gives flesh to our hope.

 

Hope grows faith, builds community, and nurtures restoration. Just as the brokenness of Saul was transformed by the assurance of Christ, all of our brokenness can be healed by the same promise (Acts 9). Sharing this will unite us as family and make the richness of our lives expansive and contagious. This cannot be completed in isolation. 

 

MBC believes that the hope of the Gospel compels us to reach beyond ourselves and guides us on our journey of life and faith together in harmony and charity. This odyssey broadens our understanding and unifies us as a Christ centered family. 

 

Our enduring growth as a body is dependent upon each of us embracing our assured future and sharing it with those around us.

 

Will you join together with us to let hope in?

“Hope is the
inextinguishable
flicker God ignites in our souls to keep us believing in the
prevailing power of
his light even when we are surrounded by utter darkness.”
– Lee Strobel

WHERE WE FIND & PLACE OUR HOPE |

In our God: Our hope has impact only when we anchor it in the One who has real power, the One who has a genuine desire to help and the ability to fulfill the promises made. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet1:3)

 

For ourselves: From the beginning God said it is not good for the man to be alone (Gen 2:18). We, in turn should follow and join together in order to grow.

 

For our neighbors: We desire to foster sincere life-changing relationships: to reach out and walk alongside others, welcoming them into our homes and embracing them as part of our inner family lives.

Guided

BY HOPE

RENEW We are called to revitalize our community and make it come alive, rekindle the wonder of life and god, and to empathize with each other.
 
GROW Together we will cultivate the fertile soil for inward, outward, and upward growth.
We will broaden and deepen our understanding of God and each other.
 
CONNECT We will broaden and deepen our understanding of God and each other.
We will share and become a part of each other’s stories.
 
ACT We will see the advent of family and fellowship on mission at MBC.  We will collectively and intentionally move to care for windows, the poor, outsiders, and those hurting in the community to help bring them to wholeness.  To help “give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair.” (Isaiah 61:3)