Who We Are

Our Heartbeat


“Today, all sorts of subjects are eagerly pursued; but the knowledge of God is neglected…. Yet to know God is man’s chief end, and justifies his existence. Even if a hundred lives were ours, this one aim would be sufficient for them all.”
John Calvin


At High Country Baptist Church, we firmly believe that “the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever” (Westminster Shorter Catechism). We want to enlarge our hearts to respond to our holy God as he reveals himself, and we want others to have a saving knowledge of him as well. Therefore, our purpose as a church is to know God and to make him known.

We believe there are two fundamental principles which guide our corporate pursuit after God. Our first fundamental principle is to love the Lord our God (Matt 22:37-38). We must be God-centered. Therefore, we are committed to spiritual worship and holy service. This means that our lives together as a church will be:

  • Truth centered. The Word of God must always be the centerpiece of our thinking, fellowship, and living. Sola Scriptura! (2 Tim 3:15-4:5)
  • Prayer saturated. Our desire for God and absolute dependence on him must issue in continual prayer (1 Thess 5:17).
  • Set apart unto the Lord. Our passion for God and desire to please him must lead to holy living. Separation (or holiness), in both the personal and ecclesiastical realms, is a core value with us (1 Peter 1:13-21).


Our second fundamental principle is to love our neighbor (Matt 22:39). This means that we will be committed to two things.

  • We are committed to intentional outreach. We want to be a community of believers who have our Savior’s heartbeat for the lost throughout the world (Mark 10:45). We will not be ashamed of the gospel (Rom 1:16-17) but will clearly proclaim salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (Rom 3:21-24).
  • We are committed to intensive discipleship.
    • This means that we will have a community focus or a commitment to fellowship (Acts 2:42-47; 4:32). We desire to build one another up in the faith (Eph 4:11-16) as every member contributes, using his spiritual gifts out of a heart of love for fellow believers (1 Cor 12:7; 13). We will also consciously strive to train new leaders (2 Tim 2:2).
    • This also means that we will be careful to exercise biblical church discipline (Matt 18:15-20).
    • Our goal is to be Christlike, that is, fully mature followers of Christ (Eph 4:13; Col 1:29). A Christlike man is characterized by doctrinal soundness, moral purity, and affectional zeal. In other words, he is characterized by holiness, truth, and love, all activated by faith and implemented through obedience.

These principles serve as guiding lights which dictate the priorities we emphasize in our assembly.

  • Meet together regularly for the purpose of spiritual worship, devoting ourselves to the apostles’ doctrine, prayer, fellowship, and the ordinances of the church (Acts 2:42; Heb 10:19-25).
  • Compassionately, persistently initiate contacts with the world around us for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel (Matt 28:19-20).
  • Develop distinctive lifestyles which are pleasing to God because of our faith (Rom 12:1-2; Heb 11).
  • Develop supportive relationships of accountability in exercising ourselves unto godliness, including equipping the saints for evangelism in their respective spheres of life and mentoring the next generation of leaders (Eph 4:12-16; 2 Tim 2:2).
  • Clearly articulate biblical truth and apply it to the issues of the day (2 Tim 3:14-4:8).
  • Reproduce our church in like-minded assemblies both nearby and around the world (Matt 28:19-20).