We are a Bible-believing church, committed to preaching and teaching practical Christianity, and living out our faith.

Our Doctrinal Statement

  • We believe that "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God," by which we understand that the whole of the book called the Bible is inspired in the sense that the Holy Ghost gave the identical words of the sacred writings to the holy men of old, chosen by Him to be the channel of his revelation to man.

    2 Timothy 3:16-17; Mark 12:26-36; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 Corinthians 2:13; Acts 1:16

  • We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God having precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections, and are worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence and obedience.

    Genesis 1:26; 3:22; 11:6-8; John 1:1-4; Isaiah 63:8-10; Acts 5:3-4; Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Mark 12:29; Revelation 1:4-6; Hebrews 1:1-3

  • We believe in the essential Deity and the Virgin Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and that all the Scriptures from first to last center around Him, His person and work, His sacrificial death upon the cross and His coming again.

    Isaiah 7:14; John 5:39; Matthew 1:18-23; Acts 17:2-3; Luke 1:35; Acts 1:11; 26:22-23; 28:23

  • We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Personality the third person of the Trinity, who is now, throughout this age of Grace, here present in the true Church, having been sent for the express purpose of revealing Christ Jesus to the members of the Church, that they may be comforted, instructed and built up in their most holy faith, and to the world, that sinners may be convicted of sin, of righteousness and of judgment.

    John 7:38-39; 14:16-17; 15:26; 16:13-15; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4

  • We believe that man, originally creation in the image and after the likeness of God, fell from his high and holy estate through disobedience, by eating the forbidden fruit and in consequence, the threatened penalty of death was then and there inflicted, so that he totally lost all spiritual life, becoming dead in trespasses and sins and subject to the power of the devil.

    
Genesis 6:5; Ephesians 2:1-3; Isaiah 64:6; 1 Timothy 5:6; John 5:40, 6:53; 1 John 3:8

  • We believe that the spiritual death or total corruption of human nature, has been transmitted to the entire race of man, the man Christ Jesus alone excepted, and hence that every child of Adam is born into the world with a sinful nature.


    Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Psalms 14:1-3, 51:5; Romans 5:12-19; John 3:6

  • We believe that sinners are saved by Grace through Faith alone and that not of themselves it is the gift of God, not of works. We further believe that every saved person is justified from all things from which he could not be justified by the law of Moses.


    Acts 13:39; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5:1; Titus 2:11-14

  • We believe that our redemption has been accomplished solely by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was made to be sin and made a curse for us, dying in our room and stead, a Sacrifice acceptable to God and effectual for every sinner who receives Him.

    Leviticus 17:11; Galatians 3:13; Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 1:7; John 1:12; 1 Peter 1:18-19, 2:24; Romans 5:6-9; 2 Corinthians 5:21

  • We believe that, owing to the universal depravity and death in sin, no one can see or enter the kingdom of God unless born of the Spirit whereby he becomes a new creation sealed unto the Day of Redemption.


    John 3:5-8; James 1:18; Galatians 6:15; 1 Peter 1:23; Ephesians 1:13; 1 John 5:1; Titus 3:5

  • We believe in the Eternal Security of all who are truly born again by the Spirit of God through faith in Christ as revealed in the Scriptures and that it is the privilege of all such to be assured of their present salvation and eternal safety.


    John 5:24, 10:28-29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:33-39

  • We believe that the members of the body of Christ are sanctified ones; are perfected as to their standing forever by the one offering of the blood of Christ and are one with Christ in sanctification. As to their state, they may be sanctified with a constant washing of water by the Word, by the blood of Christ and by the in-working presence and power of the Holy Spirit.


    Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 5:25-27; Hebrews 2:11, 10:10, 13:12; John 17:17-19; 1 John 1:7-9; Romans 15:16; Jude 1; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 4:22-24

  • We believe that when the Holy Spirit came upon the whole company of believers on the day of Pentecost as promised by Christ, they were collectively baptized into one body which was the formation of the Church, the Body of Christ. Since that time this baptism occurs individually at the moment of Salvation, at which time the believer is also indwelt by the Spirit. We believe that the New Testament distinguishes between being indwelt by the Spirit which is true of all believers and being filled with the Spirit, which is the believer’s privilege and duty, producing power in Christian witness. There is one baptism with the Spirit, and it is into the body of Christ, but there are many fillings. Pentecost is an historical event and is not repeated.

    John 14:15-18; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Romans 8:9; Matthew 3:11; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Acts 2:4, 4:8-31; Ephesians 1:13-14

  • We believe that the Holy Spirit administers spiritual gifts to the church to glorify Christ in the building of His body. We believe that God the Holy Spirit is sovereign in the bestowing of his gifts for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of their ministry, and that it is not God's will that any one gift should be given to all believers, although all believers have at least one gift. We further believe that whenever spiritual gifts are exercised, they will always be within the limits expressly given to the Scriptures (e.g., 1 Corinthians 14:23-40). We believe that speaking in tongues and the working of miracles were sign gifts demonstrated in the early church to authenticate God's revelation through the apostles and to authenticate the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but no such signs give evidence of the baptism today, nor do they appear as a mark of spiritual maturity or of the filling of the Spirit.


    John 14:26; Acts 2:11, 10:44-48; Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 13, 18-21, 29, 30; 14:6-15, 22; 2 Corinthians 3:18;  12:12; Galatians 1:8-9; Ephesians 2:20; Hebrews 2:3-4; Revelation 22:18-29

  • We believe that the Church is composed of all who are united by the Holy Spirit to the risen and ascended Son of God, and that by the same Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, thus being members one of another and knit together in love.

    Romans 12:5; Ephesians 4:3-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Colossians 2:19

  • We believe that this present age will end with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ first to receive his church unto himself and then to establish the throne of David upon the Earth and to reign in righteousness over it for a thousand years.

    
2 Samuel 7:16; John 14:1-3; Psalm 72:7-8; Acts 1:10-11; Isaiah 9:6-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Micah 5:2; Hebrews 9:28; Luke 1:32-33; Titus 2:13

  • We believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, according to the Scriptures, in bodily form, and thus became the first fruits of them that sleep; that upon His return He will raise out from among the dead those that have died in Christ, this being the first resurrection; and then, after the thousand years, He will raise them that have died in unbelief from their graves to receive their sentence.

    
Psalm 9:3-4; John 5:28-29; Isaiah 26:19; 1 Corinthians 15; Daniel 12:2; Romans 1:4; 8:23; Revelations 20:5-6

  • We believe that the attitude either of reconciliation or enmity toward God is fixed eternally at death and that the Saints of all the ages will be forever with the Lord and will become joint heirs with Him as their Redeemer in His inheritance. We further believe that there is an appointed day for the judgment of the Wicked when they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, there to remain forever and ever, in varying degrees of torment according to their works.


    Daniel 12:3, 7: 22-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Romans 8:17; 2 Peter 2:9; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8; 22:11

  • We believe that Satan is a person, the father of lies, a murderer from the beginning, and the great deceiver of all nations; that he will be overcome by the Lord Jesus Christ as a seed of the woman and cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years, and finally committed to the Lake of Fire with all his angels to be tormented forever and ever.

    
Job 1:6-12; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; John 8:44; Ephesians 6:12-16; Genesis 3:15; Rev. 20:1-3, 7-10

  • We believe that Divine healing of the body is not in the Atonement in the sense that Salvation and forgiveness of sins are in the atonement. The suffering and death of Christ according to the New Testament was substitutionary, penal and vicarious. It is nowhere taught in Scripture that Christ died for the effects of sin but for sin, and sickness is directly or indirectly the effect of sin.


    Romans 4:25; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18

  • We believe that our Lord and Savior clearly prescribed for His believing disciples the simple rite of Baptism by immersion as a symbol and proclamation of the sinner's death to sin and his resurrection in newness of life in Christ Jesus.


    Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38, 8:12

  • We believe that our Lord and Savior clearly prescribed for his believing disciples the solemn right of the Lord's Supper as a memorial of the Lord's death to be kept by His disciples until He comes again according to His promise and the Father’s revealed plan.


    Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-27

Our Core Values

1. The Scriptures are Sufficient

““All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

”
— 2 Timothy 3:16

We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Scriptures and that they contain all the words of God that we need in order to completely trust and obey Him. The Scriptures are inerrant in their original writings (Psalm 119:97-104; Psalm 119:160; Matthew 5:18; John 5:46 -47; John 10:35; 2 Timothy 3:15-16) and infallible in their instruction (Proverbs 6:32; 2 Peter 1:19), eternal in duration (Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:23-25); the final authority and the standard for Faith and practice (Matthew 4:4; Psalm 119) and sufficient for counsel in every issue of life (Psalm 19:14-17; 2 Timothy 3:16).


We believe that the very words of Scripture in the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic are inspired by God. Therefore, we believe that the Bible versions which translate God's Word most literally into modern English should be preferred.

2. Worship is Worthwhile

““God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.””
— John 4:24

We believe that we're not wasting our time in corporate worship to God.

The chief purpose of mankind is to glorify God by loving Him with the entire heart, soul, mind, and might (Deuteronomy 6:5; Isaiah 43:7; Matthew 22:37). All believing men, women, and children are to glorify God and thus fulfill the purpose of their existence. Worship glorifies God through adoration (Psalm 95:6), praise (Psalm 99:5), prayer (Daniel 6:10-11), thanksgiving (Nehemiah 12:46), and a complete yielding to Him (Romans 12:1). Worship declares His worth, pays Him homage, and celebrates Him in a life of devotion. We seek to Worship the Lord in spirit and in truth (Exodus 15:1-21; 2 Samuel 6:14-16; Psalm 5:7; John 4:23-24; Revelation 4:11, 5:12).

Several truths guide our worship. We seek to:

  • Lift high the name of Jesus Christ. (John 4:22-26; John 12:32 John 14:6)

  • Lead God's people to lift their hearts and voices to Him, giving Him praise and thanks in music and lyric. (Nehemiah 12:45-46; Psalm 66:1-4; Psalm 95:1-2)

  • Prepare hearts to hear the Lord speak through proclamation of Scripture. (Psalm 95:6-9; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42)

  • Emphasize fresh and contemporary expressions while retaining traditional elements that recognize the richness of our heritage in the faith. (Deuteronomy 32:7; Psalm 33:3; Isaiah 46:8-9; Matthew 13:32; Ephesians 5:19; Revelation 5:9)

  • Pursue excellence in worship, knowing that God is worthy of our best (Exodus 12; Deuteronomy 17:1; Psalm 33:3; 1 Timothy 4:14-15; Hebrews 11:4).

3. Prayer is Powerful

““Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.””
— Ephesians 6:18

There is no power apart from prayer. That is why we have recently chosen to provide more opportunities for corporate prayer among our congregation.


  • Sunday evening EQUIP prayer services


  • Life Group


  • Sunday morning pre-service prayer


We believe that prayer is our "declaration of dependence" upon God. Therefore, we will not enter any ministry without having sought the Lord in significant prayer.

4. Fellowship is Fundamental

““And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers.””
— Acts 2:42

We are not only committed to providing ample opportunities to interact and spend time with one another (i.e. Adult Fellowship, Ladies Fellowship, Men's events, PrimeTimers, Life Groups, etc.), we are also committed to providing ways to partner together in ministry.

5. Evangelism is Essential

““(Pray) for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it, I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.””
— Ephesians 6:19-20

We believe in missions. We are committed to sending 15% of our general fund offerings to local and world missions of which no less than 40% will be sent outside of North America.

We believe in bold witness. We are committed to teaching and training local church believers to share their faith boldly in everyday situations for the glory of God and the expanse of His Kingdom.

6. Serving is Satisfying

““Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.””
— 1 Corinthians 15:58

We believe that every “member of the body" has a purpose, and we encourage every person to "find your place" to serve, not only for our benefit but for yours as well.

 

Bridgewater Open Bible Church is a member of the Associated Gospel Churches of Canada.

The Associated Gospel Churches (AGC) traces its beginnings to the early 1890s when a group of independent evangelical churches became known as the Christian workers Church of Canada, under a charter granted to Dr. P. W. Philpott, Pastor of the Gospel Tabernacle in Hamilton, Ontario. These churches were concerned about the growth of theological liberalism and in 1922 felt the need to unite with others who practiced a simple biblical faith. In 1925, because other groups with contrasting doctrine and practice were using similar names, a new charter under the name of Associated Gospel Churches was secured from the Canadian government.

The need for a strong evangelical church association was evident from the number of independent churches and missions which joined the agency in the years that followed. Although some early AGC churches sent out workers to begin new Sunday schools, a more aggressive church extension program did not come about until later. In 1940, a group of western churches sought affiliation with the AGC and became the basis of what is now known as the Western Region. The Quebec Charter was registered by our English Ministry 1944. With a new openness of the French population in Quebec, the AGC and UFM International Mission joined hands to begin a French work in Quebec in 1972.

A major restructuring of the AGC took place in 1989, to meet the needs of the widespread and diverse nation of a changing society and of a growing group of churches, while still being true to our commitment to our historical distinctive. The changes grew out of the explicit Statement of Purpose and Objectives contained in this Constitution. In 2002, a further redefinition of the Purpose, Vision, and Values was undertaken. There was also a re-alignment of regions requiring a restructuring.