Pastor W. Paul Baxter

Paul Baxter attended a Brethren Sunday School as a child and was later baptised at Berkley Free Evangelical Church in 1980 after his decision to live for Christ. He made a decision to live for Jesus Christ whilst in the Royal Navy in Portsmouth. Helen, his wife, was a Christian when he met her and it was partly through her witness that he finally came to this decision. Helen and Paul became members of West View Baptist Church, Hartlepool, in 1980 where they were trained full time by the Youth Pastor as youth workers. They moved to Lynton, North Devon, in 1982 and took over the care of the local Church Sunday School. They also started a weekly coffee bar for the young people of the area and ran Christian holidays for young people yearly.

Helen and Paul then moved back to Hartlepool in 1989 and, at West View again, Paul became more involved in teaching adults starting with running a weekly Bible study and also a Christian basics course. He also began to preach on a more regular basis as the Church was between ministers. It was at this point that they decided, under the Spirit’s prompting, that Paul should train for full time ministry. This was after three pastors had suggested this to him independently of each other. (From Hartlepool, Leeds and Birmingham)

After training at Bristol Baptist College Paul’s first appointment as a full time pastor was at East Street Baptist Church in Bristol and he served there from March 1996 to May 2002. During his time at East Street he was also Free Church Chaplain at Bristol General Hospital for five years. Paul was also a regular contributor to BBC Radio Bristol’s ‘Thought for the day’ with Roger Bennett. Paul has been the full time pastor at Usk Baptist church since May 2002, and he is a personal member of the FIEC,(Fellowship Of Independent Evangelical Churches).

What do you believe Paul?

As far as God’s church is concerned I believe that expository preaching and teaching is a vitally important area (1 Tim 4:13) It is through preaching and teaching that Christians are encouraged, equipped and enabled for both growth and service. (2 Tim 4:1-5) And it is through evangelism that people are brought into the position to be encouraged, equipped and enabled in this way. It has always been my personal aim to know Christ and to make Him known. All this must, of course, be saturated in prayer. (1 Thess 5:17) Prayer is totally essential to any ministry and I place a very high priority upon my time spent alone with God in prayer and the prayers of the church.
I also believe God’s Word to be the only infallible rule of faith and practice (Matt 5:18; 2 Tim 3:16; Isaiah 40:8 etc) and that it is inerrant in the original documents, infallible and God breathed.
As well as all this I accept the revelation of the triune God given in the scriptures and confess the historic faith of the gospels within the scriptures. I believe the scriptures to be trustworthy and supreme in all matters of faith and conduct. I believe that humankind has fallen and is under God’s judgement. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, being the sole and all sufficient ground of redemption from the power of sin. I believe in the illuminating, regenerating, indwelling and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. I believe in the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ in power and glory.

Concerning the organisation of the church I believe that the one supreme authority for the church is Christ (Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:18) and that church leadership, gifts, order, discipline, and worship are all appointed through His sovereignty as found in the Scriptures. The biblically designated officers serving under Christ and over the assembly are elders (who are also called bishops, pastors, and pastor-teachers; Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11) and deacons, both of whom must meet biblical qualification (1 Tim. 3:1–13; Titus 1:5–9; 1 Pet. 5:1–5). I believe that these leaders lead as servants of Christ (1 Tim. 5:17–22) and have His authority in directing the church.

I believe that the following five fundamental aspects of faith are the doctrines which unite true believers:
1.    The inerrancy, authority, and sufficiency of Scripture as the very Word of God
2.    The deity of Jesus Christ as the second Member of the Trinity, who took on human flesh at His incarnation having been born of a virgin
3.    The substitutionary death of Jesus Christ, and the fact that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone
4.    The bodily resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, who is the Saviour and Lord of the redeemed, and who will one day return in glory
5.    The historic authenticity of biblical miracles, including those recorded in the Old Testament,
the Gospels, and the book of Acts