About Us

Mission

Howertons Baptist Church in Essex County, Virginia, is a body of believers committed to the service of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Members must have accepted Jesus Christ by personal relationship as Savior and Lord and must be baptized by immersion.  We believe every member is called of God to be actively involved in a ministry for which God has gifted and equipped them.  The church is made up of many talented Christians striving to use their abilities to better serve Christ and be a witness for Him.  We seek to live our mission statement daily:

We, the body of Christ, led by the Holy Spirit, walk together in Christian love to advance this church in faithful service, spiritual growth and compassionate outreach.

Statement of Beliefs 

Holy Bible – The Bible is God’s Word to all people. It was written by human authors who were under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and inspired by God.  The Bible is truth without error and is completely relevant to our daily lives. (Psalm 119:11, 89, 105, Proverbs 30:5, Matt 22:29, John 5:39, 16:13-15, Romans 15:4, 16:25-28, 2 Timothy 3:15-17)

Trinity – There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Gen 1:26, Isaiah 9:6, 61:1, Matt 3:16-17, 28:19, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 1:35, Romans 8:9-11,)

The Father – God is all powerful, all knowing, ever present. He is unchanging and completely worthy of our trust, and above all is Holy. It is in Him that we live, move and exist. He is our Father. He is loving, compassionate, and faithful to His people and His promises. (Psalm 11:4-6, John 3:16, 4:24, 5:26, 14:1, Acts 17:28, Romans 3:3-4)

The Son – Jesus Christ is God the Son. He is completely human but, at the same time, completely God. He is the only plan for bringing people into a right relationship with God. He was born of a virgin and lived a perfect sinless life. He defeated death in His resurrection so that we can have life. (Matt 1:18-23, Luke 24:46-47, John 1: 1, 14, 20:28, 1 Timothy 3:16, Philippians 2:5-6, Colossians 1:15, 2:9)

The Holy Spirit – The Holy Spirit is what He left for us as He ascended back to the Father in Heaven. He guides believers into all truth and exalts Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts us, and makes us more like Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16, Galatians 5:25, Ephesians 1:13, 5:18)

Salvation – We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is God’s gift to us if we will accept it. It is not a result of good works, self-improvement, or of any of our human efforts. It is only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s only son and His offer of forgiveness that we can be saved from sin’s penalty. (Matt 1;21, 27:22-66, Luke 1:68-69, John 14:6, Acts 16:31, Romans 5:1, 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-9)

The Church – The church is the body of Christ. A local community (family) of baptized believers, unified through faith in Jesus Christ. It is committed to the teachings of Christ and obedience to His commands. The church seeks to bring the Gospel to the world. The church works together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ. (Matt 16:18-19, 18:15-20, John 17:11, Acts 2:41-47, 5:11-14, 1 Corinthians 7:17, 9:13-14)

Eternity – Man was created to exist forever. He will exist either eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with God is Heaven. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence. (Matt 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, Mark 9:43-48, John 3:16, 36, Romans 6:23, 2 Corinthians 5:1)

Baptism– Following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the new believer is commanded in the Word of God to be baptized in water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change that has taken place inside of us. (Matt 28:19, Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16)

Communion – Communion is a unique time, in the presence of God, in which we remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross. (Matt 26:26-29, 1 Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25)

Biblical Marriage – Biblical marriage is clearly defined as one man uniting with one woman for life. This covenant is with God and should not be taken lightly. It is a commitment that is being made by a man and woman before God.  (Genesis 2:22-24, Ephesians 5:22-33, Matt 19:4-6, Mark 10:6-9, Galatians 5:25-25)

The Second Coming – Jesus Christ will visibly and physically return to earth to establish His Kingdom. No man knows the hour in which He will return.  (Matthew 24:30, Acts 1:19, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8, Revelation 1:7)

History

Howertons Baptist Church, originally called Howerton Baptist, was formed in July 1856 and accepted into the Rappahannock Baptist Association.  Howertons is a daughter church of Old Piscataway Baptist Church (formed in March 1774) which is now Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Dunbrooke, Virginia.

The original meeting house on the property that Howertons resides now was built by Old Piscataway Church in 1795 and was named “The Bestland Meeting House”.  This building was a crude fame building that was built on the site of the current cemetery.  The current 2 story brick sanctuary began construction in 1855 and was completed in 1859 at a cost of  $111.00.

The original membership of Howertons Baptist Church was 86 members and Howard Montague was the first pastor.