WHO ARE WE?
Central Baptist Church is an intergenerational congregation in the heart of Atlantic Highlands, NJ – that has been here for over 125 years. We have folks from Atlantic Highlands, Highlands, Middletown, Shrewsbury, Red Bank, Oceanport, and more, of all ages and places in life. We are not a perfect people, but we’re a warm, kind, and generous community. We’d love for you to join us and ‘come and see’ for yourself.
We blend contemporary and traditional elements of worship into our services; preserving our faith history while embracing new traditions in worship. We love kids, and are excited to be growing our kids and youth programs. We are affiliated with the American Baptist Churches – New Jersey and the American Baptist Churches – USA.
Scroll down for a fuller picture of the history of the church and its building.
Jesus is.
What we believe
The Word of God
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct (John 17:17; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).
The Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption (Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-4; 1 John 5:7).
We believe in God the Father, an infinite personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of people, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17; John 4:24; John 17:5).
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth (Isaiah 7:14; John 1:14; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:2-3; 1 John 1:7).
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, comforter, and guide (John 14:26; John 16:7-15; Romans 8:14-17; Ephesians 1:13-14).
Regeneration
We believe that all people are sinners by nature and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit (John 1:12-13; John 3:16-17; Acts 20:21; Ephesians 2:1-9; Titus 3:5).
The Church
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on the credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world (Matthew 16:16-18; Acts 2:38-41; Ephesians 2:19-22; 5:25-27).
Christian Conduct
We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow people; that his or her conduct should be blameless before the world; s/he should be a faithful steward of his or her possessions; and that s/he should seek to realize for him or herself and others, the full stature of maturity in Christ (2 Corinthians 9:6-8; Ephesians 4:11-16; Colossians 3:17-23; 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18).
The Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-42; Romans 6:3-5).
The Last Things
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal blessedness of the righteous, and endless suffering of the wicked (John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:1-15; Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
HISTORY
On January 26, 1893, Central Baptist Church was founded and organized to be a local expression of the rapidly expanding Baptist church in Monmouth County. Its first pastor, Frank C. Colby, was installed on October 1, 1893. The cornerstone for the impressive building was laid on July 26, 1894 and on December 28, 1894, the building was dedicated. The building, which has a dimension of 60 feet on Highland Avenue with a depth of 90 feet on Third Avenue, is an imposing and impressive structure. The tower is 12 feet square and 72 feet in height. According to the deed, the church could not have a bell; therefore a beacon light was used to shine from the tower to indicate evening services, as well as serve as a symbol of the church’s call to be a light to the Bayshore area. The “bells of 3rd Avenue” have rung out since 1950, however, when chimes were installed in the tower.
For as beautiful as our building is however, we know that the church is not a building: it is a people on mission together, redeemed solely by God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Located near the “central” part of Atlantic Highlands, the mission which started in 1893 has been and remains the same: to bear witness to Jesus Christ, sharing the good news of God’s free and redeeming grace.
We, at Central, believe that Jesus is central, so we aim to live by faith in him, be known by love like him, and be a voice of hope, echoing his voice into the world that he so deeply loves. We invite you to join us!