Armitage Baptist Church
Chicago IL

We're a center-city, multicultural mosaic of 40+ ethnicities and nationalities. We love God and enjoy accompanying others in their own God-ward journey

Whether you’ve never visited a church or you’re been a Christian for 20 years, visiting a new church for the first time can be a little intimidating. We’d like to take the edge off of any anxiety by giving you a look at to expect on a Sunday morning visit.

We have several options for parking on Sunday mornings. Typically, you’ll be greeted by one of our parking ministry volunteers as you arrive. These folks can help you with basic directions or information as you make your way into the building. Our main entrance is on Kedzie. We have nursery and children’s programming available during all Sunday activities.

If you’re coming for 9:30 Bible Study, come straight in up the stairs to the auditorium and one of our Discovery Class volunteers will help you get your bearings. The Discovery Class is an entry-level Bible study for those who have little experience in structured Bible study or who may need a refresher on the key teachings of scripture. If you’d like to try something a little more interactive and beyond the basics, we have a number of other options. There are signs and directories throughout the facility to help you find your way to classes, and you can always find a willing person to help you out if you start to feel lost.

If you’re coming for our 11:00 AM Celebration service, plan on arriving to park around 10:40 AM. Our closest lots tend to fill up quickly closer to 11:00 and we like our guests to have the best shot at good parking. We have parking volunteers on hand to help you if you need directions or information on your way in. As you come through our main entrance to the 1st Floor, our ushering team will greet you and help you find a seat in the auditorium. They can also help you with information about nursery and children’s ministry options if needed.

Our typical worship service includes a mix of singing, prayer, a biblical message from one of our pastoral team members, some brief announcements, and an offering. There are three key things we like every guest to know:

We sometimes raise our hands, clap, or praise God aloud during our services. That’s just something some of us do as an expression of love and gratitude to God. There’s no need to feel pressure to join in if you’re uncomfortable. You don’t even have to sing if you don’t want to. Feel free to just be with us and know that we love you and we’re glad you’re with us.

At the end of the message, we have prayer partners available to pray with you if you have a need or have spiritual questions. People sometimes wonder why we have a separate room beside the platform for that. Basically, it allows for fewer distraction than if we tried to do everything right down in front of the stage. If you go to speak with a prayer partner, he/she will interact with you about your spiritual concern and pray with you. Afterwards, he/she will ask if it’s alright to follow up on your prayer need in a week or two and then will gather some basic contact information to facilitate that if you agree. We’d also like you to know that, while we collect an offering at every service, there’s no pressure for you to give us anything. Our offerings are just a way to facilitate receiving gifts from those who are a regular part of our church family. We won’t stop you from giving, we just don’t want you to feel pressured to do so.

While you’re with us, we’ll offer you a copy of our monthly LIFE LINE publication. It details various news, events, and information that might be helpful as you get to know Armitage. Also, we invite you to browse the rest of our site to check out who we are and what we’re up to.

 

http://www.armitagechurch.org/  

 

What's in a Name?

John the Baptist, eccentric prophet. William Carey, linguist, humanitarian extraordinaire. Frederick Douglas, abolitionist-orator. Charles Spurgeon, urban crusader. Nannie Helen Borrroughs, women’s leader. Walter Rauschenbusch, social justice warrior. Lottie Moon, China champion. Martin Luther King, renowned activist. Billy Graham, global evangelist. Mahalia Jackson, vocalist without equal. Rick Warren, mega-church pastor, best-selling author. Baptist is a name associated with colorful, controversial, influential figures here and around the world.

There are approximately 32 million Baptists in the U.S. and over 100 million in the world and over 200 different Baptist conventions, fellowships, associations. Some of these organizations are international, some are national, some are language based; others are ethnically centered.

This may be helpful. There is no “The Baptist Church.” Each Baptist congregation is independent, autonomous, self-governing. Many churches participate in larger entities such as: the Baptist Bible Fellowship International, the National Baptist Convention, etc. However, those affiliations do not infringe upon congregational self-determination. Yes, this lends itself to some craziness and confusion. It is what it is.

Baptists are not self-named. Our persecutors began using this label in derision beginning in the 1400’s.

Baptists are not Protestants. Baptists never protested and “came out” of the Roman Catholic Church as mainline Protestant groups did in the Reformation.

Theologically and historically, Baptists are those who hold the Word of God, the Scriptures, the Bible, as sole authority in all matters of faith, church order, and practice rather than looking to tradition, human hierarchies, committees, or governments.

Many historians seemingly fail to notice that many who came to America for religious freedom, instituted the same state church systems, persecuting those who did not adhere, repeating the sins of the governments they fled.

In U.S. history, Rhode Island, the first colony with complete religious freedom, was founded by Baptist Roger Williams. Williams’ life was a crusade for freedom of conscience and religious liberty. He founded Rhode Island in 1636 after purchasing the land from the Narragansett Indians.

“The English . . . justified their grabbing of Indian land by claiming that these simple folk did not really believe in property rights.” Williams argued, “the Native Americans did make claims to property, claims that must be respected. The Natives are very exact and punctual in the bounds of their Lands, belonging to this or that Prince or People,’ even bargaining among themselves for a small piece of ground.”

A refuge from religious persecution, Rhode Island became home to the first Jewish synagogue in America and a sanctuary for Quakers who were being persecuted and killed by anti-Quaker laws in Massachusetts and other colonial territories. Rhode Island was an open door to all people, a safe harbor in a sea of tyranny and oppression.

In the flurry of activity, during which colonies would become states, the constitution presented for ratification did not provide for religious liberty. Baptists supported the proposed constitution only on the condition that an amendment on religious freedom would be added.

Finally, Massachusetts and Virginia became the pivotal states in the process. James Madison was running for the state legislature of Virginia against Baptist pastor, John Leland. Madison was about to lose the election. Leland knew this. He also knew without Madison’s golden voice and political influence there would be no constitution. With victory already in his hand, Leland dropped out of the race, giving Madison an open road on the promise that he would pursue language providing for religious liberty.

So sympathetic was Congress, urged on by President Washington, that they made it their first business to consider the issue Baptists were pressing. As a result, the line of the 1st Amendment reads “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .”

Baptist then is not a “brand name” so much as it is a historical, theological descriptor of people who adhere to Biblical authority over human authority and are advocates of religious liberty for all.

Charles W. Lyons