At Madison Avenue Baptist Church, faith is not about having all the answers. We are a community seeking to live out the love and teachings of Jesus, bringing different histories, questions, experiences, and theological perspectives to the table. One of our core Baptist convictions is the “priesthood of the believer:” the belief that every person has direct access to God, that no one stands closer to God than anyone else, and that each of us has both the freedom and responsibility to seek, question, and discern for ourselves. Some of us have deep roots in the church; others are returning after years away; still others are exploring faith for the first time. We believe questions and doubt are not threats to faith, but part of an honest spiritual life.
We look to Jesus as our guide in the way of radical love, compassion, joy, and justice. Following his example means standing with those who are marginalized, challenging systems that diminish human dignity, caring for creation, and working toward healing in ourselves and in the world. We trust that the Spirit of God is still moving among us—comforting, challenging, surprising, and calling us forward in our community and our world.
We take the Bible seriously without requiring that it be taken literally. Scripture is a living conversation: ancient stories of struggle, grace, liberation, failure, hope, and transformation that we study thoughtfully and wrestle with honestly. As Baptists, we affirm the freedom and responsibility of each person to read, question, interpret, and respond to Scripture in community and under the guidance of the Spirit.
Our language for God is intentionally spacious. God is Creator, Spirit, Holy Mystery, Eternal Love—infinitely more than any name or image we can give. We fully celebrate, affirm, and welcome every human being bears the image of God, which is why at MABC, all really does mean all. We welcome people across race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, economic circumstance, and faith background.
Ultimately, we believe true faith must change how we live, how we love, how we treat one another, and how we respond to the world around us. Faith should open our hearts, deepen our compassion, expand our joy, and compel us toward justice. Our calling is not simply to believe certain things about God, but to live in ways that make those beliefs visible—spreading joy, seeking justice, and bringing more love into the streets of New York City and the world.
For more information about membership at MABC and ways we celebrate our practice of Christianity, click here.