David Conyers is the Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Charlottesville, VA. He graduated from Ambassador Baptist College, in Lattimore, NC, with an Associates Degree in Biblical Studies and a BA in Second-Man with a Music minor. While at A.B.C., he met his future wife, Carla. Since 1999, they have been serving together in churches, building up the music ministries, youth ministries, and also administrative duties for those churches. They are proud parents of twin sons. Since September 2019, Pastor Dave and Mrs. Carla have jumped right into ministry at Bethel Baptist Church, and are enjoying serving here, and working to impact the lives of the members as well as those in the community. Come visit us at BBC and see what God is doing here.

Our philosophy of the local church is that we are to, first of all, continue steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine by way of preaching and teaching the Holy Scriptures, we are to encourage fellowship among the brethren, we are to enjoy breaking bread with each other, and we are to share our burdens as we pray for each other and for God’s will in our lives. Then, we are to share our faith and fellowship with our family, friends, and fellow-man; and then the Lord will add to the church “such as should be saved”. (Acts 2:42-47) The local church also offers opportunities for its members to exercise their faith and talents through giving, singing, hospitality, caretaking, preaching, and teaching.

Our youth and family philosophy is simple and scripturally based. The Scripture tells us that the father is the head of the home, and to usurp that would mean that we are ignoring God’s design. Along with the father being the head of the home, the parents are responsible for raising their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and the church’s youth programs are only a supplement to what the parents should be teaching them at home.

Here at Bethel Baptist Church, we strive to please God. In order to do this, we believe that a Biblical philosophy of music is imperative. We strive to have a Proper Focus: the music’s message and delivery should both honor God, not self; and the minister should be a help, not a hindrance. We strive for a Proper Sound: distinctly Christian and not being conformed to what the current culture would consider to be popular. We strive for a Proper Perspective: understanding the difference between church worship music and church activity music, also always bearing in mind that all of our music should be acceptable in God’s sight. Finally, we strive for a Proper Purpose: to prepare hearts for worship, for preaching, and for invitation to draw closer to God. With this philosophy in mind, we reject the current “Christian” rock movement and encourage conservative Christian music instead. We sing congregational songs from our hymnals and enjoy encouraging special music from our church, weekly.

THE BIBLE

We believe and accept the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, to be the verbally inspired, inerrant Word of God, and therefore the altogether sufficient and authoritative rule of faith and practice. Furthermore, in light of all the confusion and questions caused by the many modern translations; We believe and accept the King James Version as the best English translation, as it is a literal translation of the proper Received Text, with all the characteristics thereof.

II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21; I Peter 1:23; Psalm 12:6-7; Psalm 119:89; Psalm 119:160; Proverbs 30:5-6; John 10:35; John 17:17; Revelation 22:18-19

 

DISPENSATIONALISM

We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life which define man’s responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. We believe that God’s word clearly reveals seven dispensational ages. These dispensations being: Innocence (Eden), Conscience (Post-Eden – Flood), Civil Government (Flood – Abraham), Patriarchal (Abraham – Moses), Law (Moses – Crucifixion), Church (Crucifixion – Rapture), and End Times (Tribulation, Millennial, and Eternal); and are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture.

Genesis 1:28; John 1:1-17; 1 Corinthians 9:17; 2 Corinthians 3:9-18; Galatians 3:13-25; Ephesians 1:10; 3:2-10; Colossians 1:24-25; Revelation 20:2-6

 

GENESIS

We believe that all of Genesis is a literal account of those times. We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods, and WE reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. We believe in a literal world-wide flood of Noah’s day and in the entirety of the human race alive today coming through the genetic line of his sons. We believe in the dispersions of languages and people groups at the Tower of Babel.

Genesis 1-6; Exodus 20:11

 

THE GODHEAD

We believe that there is one, and only one, true and living God, who is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal being, eternally existent in three persons…God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is sovereign and perfect in His Being, possessing the attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence; He is absolutely holy in His character and, as the Creator and Supreme Ruler of all creation, is worthy of all worship and adoration.

Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 83:18; Psalm 139:7-9; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; John 15:26; 1 John 5:17

 

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the second Person of the Triune God, the eternal Word and only begotten Son; that without any change in His divine Person, He became man through the miracle of the Virgin Birth, thus to continue forever as both true God and true man, that as man He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin; that as the perfect Lamb of God He gave Himself in death by the shedding of His blood upon the cross, bearing there the sin of the world, and suffering its full penalty of divine wrath in our stead; that He arose from the grave in a glorified body; that as our great High Priest He ascended into Heaven, there to appear before God as our Advocate and Intercessor.

John 1:1,14; John 3:16; Matthew 1:18-25; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:6-10; I Corinthians 15:3-4; II Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:14-15; I Peter 1:18-19; I John 2:1-2

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is the third Person of the Triune God, and the divine Agent in nature, revelation, and redemption; that He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; that He regenerates, indwells, seals, and anoints all who come to God through Christ; that He further empowers, guides, teaches, sanctifies, and fills believers. Furthermore, while accepting the Biblical gifts of the Holy Spirit, We believe that the sign gifts, including speaking in tongues, gradually ceased while the canon of Scripture was being completed, and are not active gifts of the Holy Spirit today.

John 3:5; John 14:16-17; John 16:7-14; Romans 8:9; II Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 5:18; Titus 3:5; Mark 16:17; Hebrews 2:4; I Corinthians 13:8-10

 

MAN

We believe that man was the direct creation of God, made in God’s image and likeness; and that by willful and voluntary transgression fell into a sinful state, the consequence of which is that all mankind are now sinners, not by constraint, but of choice, and are thus alienated from the life of God, and therefore under the righteous judgment and wrath of God without defense or excuse; and are, of themselves, utterly unable to remedy their lost condition.

Genesis 1:27; Genesis 3:6; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10, 23; Romans 5:12; Galatians 3:22; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12

 

SALVATION

We believe that salvation is the free gift of God to man, neither merited nor secured in part or in whole by any virtue or work of man, but received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The basis upon which God saves and forgives guilty sinners is the substitutionary death and shed blood of Jesus Christ upon Calvary. We believe that, although not all men will be saved, salvation has been secured, and is available to all who will come to Christ through repentance and faith. We believe that those in Christ shall never perish; and that apart from Christ there is no possible salvation.

John 1:12; John 3:16, 36; John 6:37; John 10:28; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:22-26; Romans 5:8; II Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; I Peter 1:18-19; I Peter 3:18; II Peter 3:9

 

REPENTANCE and FAITH

We believe that repentance and faith are solemn responsibilities, effected in our souls by the quickening Spirit of God; thereby, being deeply convicted of our guilt of sin and of the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, and confession, at the same time receiving the Lord Jesus Christ, and openly confessing Him as our only and all-sufficient Savior.

Acts 20:21; John 16:8-11; II Corinthians 7:10; I Thessalonians 1:10; Luke 12:8; Luke 18:13; Romans 10:9-10; Psalm 51:1-4; Isaiah 55:6-7

 

THE ETERNAL SECURITY and ASSURANCE OF BELIEVERS

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever, and that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word; which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh.

John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1; 38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:4-5; Romans 12:12-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15

 

CHRISTIAN LIVING and GODLY WORKS

We believe every believer should be faithful in righteous living and Godly works, not as a means of salvation but as its proper evidence and fruit; that all who claim to know Christ as Savior should live so as not to bring reproach on His name; that we therefore should set our affections on things above, not live in conformity to this present evil world, and engage in the faithful discharging of our solemn responsibility and privilege of bearing the gospel to a lost world; remembering that we will stand individually at the Judgment Seat of Christ and give account of the things done in our bodies, whether good or bad.

Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:15; Colossians 3:1-2; Romans 12:1-2; II Corinthians 5:18-20; I Corinthians 3:12-15; II Corinthians 5:9-10

 

SATAN

We believe in the existence of Satan, who originally was created a holy and perfect being, but through pride and wicked ambition rebelled against God, thus becoming utterly depraved in character, the great adversary of God and His people, leader of all other evil angels and wicked spirits, the deceiver and god of this present world; that his powers are vast, but strictly limited by the permissive will of God, that he was defeated and judged at the cross, and therefore his final doom is certain; that we are able to resist and overcome him only in the armor of God, by the blood of the Lamb, and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 14:12-15; I Peter 5:8; II Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; I John 3:8; Revelation 12:9-11; Revelation 20:10; Ephesians 6:10-18

 

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

We believe in the pre-millennial second coming of Christ, first to receive the saved unto Himself, wherein the dead in Christ shall be raised incorruptible and those living saints shall be translated that they should not experience death; that this coming for His own is imminent, and after which the wrath of God will be poured out upon this earth during the seven-year period known as the Tribulation, which will be brought to conclusion by the return of Christ to the earth in great power and glory; that upon His return to the earth He will establish His glorious and literal kingdom for a thousand years.

John 14:3; I Thessalonians 4:13-17; I Corinthians 15:51-54; Philippians 3:20; Jeremiah 30:7; Matthew 24:15-21; Revelation 19:11-16; Revelation 20:1-6

 

HEAVEN and HELL

We believe in the literal existence of both Heaven and Hell; that at death the spirits of the saved go immediately to be with Christ in Heaven; that likewise at death the spirits of the unsaved go immediately to Hell, where they are kept under punishment until the final day of judgment, at which time they will be raised to stand before the Great White Throne, and then be cast into the Lake of Fire, the place of final, conscious, and everlasting punishment.

John 14:2; Hebrews 9:24; Hebrews 10:34; I Peter 1:4; Revelation 4:1-2; Revelation 21:1-2; Mark 9:43-48; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; Luke 16:19-24; Revelation 20:13-14

 

THE FAMILY

We believe in the institution of the home as defined by Scripture; that it was divinely established in the beginning as the union by marriage of a male and female and is the basic unit of society; that each family member, husband, wife, or child, has distinct duties and responsibilities; that it is the responsibility of parents to train up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and to provide them Godly instruction and discipline.

We believe that God disapproves of divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon.

We reject homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle, believing rather that such conduct is sinful and abominable in the sight of God, believing also that those involved in such behavior may be forgiven as others, such as fornicators and adulterers, through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. I reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well-being of the mother are acceptable.

Genesis 2:18-25; Matthew 5:3-6; Genesis 3:16; Genesis 18:19; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deuteronomy 32:46; Psalm 78:5-6; Psalm 127; Proverbs 3:12; Proverbs 13:24; Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 5:21-33; Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; Romans 1:24-28; Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13; I Corinthians 6:9-10;  Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; 1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6; Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5; 129:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44

 

THE CHURCH

We believe that a local, New Testament church is an assembly of baptized believers associated together by a covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel, whose purpose is the proclamation of the Gospel, the instruction and edification of the saints, the observance of the ordinances; and the faithful contending for the faith once delivered to the saints; that its Biblical officers are two, pastor (elder, bishop), and deacon; and that each local church has the absolute right of self- government without any outside interference, whether individual or ecclesiastical, and that the one and only Head of the church is Christ.

We further believe in the authority and responsibility of the church to exercise New Testament church discipline upon offending members and that each member is subject to such discipline if, in the judgment of the church, the member is determined to be a reproach upon Christ and the church in either attitude, creed, or conduct. Therefore, any person desiring membership in a New Testament church willingly submits himself to the disciplinary authority of the church.

Furthermore, We believe that in the event of differences and conflicts arising between believers, the Scripture requires that those differences and conflicts be settled between the believers involved or, if necessary, with the judgment of the church, without resorting to the secular court system.

Acts 2:41-42; Matthew 28:19-20; Ephesians 4:11-12; I Corinthians 11:23-34; Jude 3-4; Acts 14:23; Acts 20:17-28; I Timothy 3:1-13; Acts 6:5; 15:22, 25; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 5:23-24; I Corinthians 5:4-7, 11-13; I Corinthians 6:1-8

 

CIVIL GOVERNMENT

We believe that civil government is of divine appointment, for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except only in matters contrary to the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience.

Romans 13:1-7; I Timothy 2:1-2; Titus 3:1; Matthew 22:21; Acts 4:19-20; Acts 5:29; Daniel 3:17-18; Daniel 6:1-10; Psalm 72:11; Philippians 2:10-11; I Timothy 6:14-16

 

CHURCH ORDINANCES

We believe that the ordinances of the church are two, baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

We believe that scriptural baptism is by immersion in water of a believer in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; with the authority of the local church; that baptism pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and the believer’s identification with the same; that baptism is a prerequisite to church membership and the participation in the Lord’s Supper.

The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper is a symbol only, by sacred use of unleavened bread and the non-alcoholic fruit of the vine that commemorates the sinless broken body and shed blood of Christ, which observance is to always be preceded by solemn self-examination.

Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; Romans 6:4-8; Matthew 26:26-30; I Corinthians 11:23-34

 

SPREADING THE GOSPEL

We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. If we cannot go ourselves, then we should send others who can go in our place. Our own family is our first mission, and then our friends and acquaintances, then our community, our town, and so on.

Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:36-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20

 

GIVING

We believe that every Christian is a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, and is obligated to support his local church. We believe that God has exemplified the tenth as a basis for giving; and that every Christian should give as unto the Lord, sacrificially and cheerfully. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of their offering once the gift has been made.

Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; 1 Timothy 5:17-18

Our “old church building” has ties to the past, dating all the way back to the late 1700s. It was in 1794 that a small, local Methodist group bought a crude log meeting house and established it as their church. The original log building was replaced by a modest structure that stood for about 100 years. The present building was erected during World War I.

Pastor Wendell Lamb and his wife, Janice, first opened the doors of Bethel Baptist on Sunday, February 2, 1992, with about 15 members. Eventually, there were 29 original charter members. After the first year, the member roster had grown to nearly 50 members and weekly offerings averaged about $200.

As Bethel Baptist continued to be blessed by God, they soon found themselves experiencing the first signs of growing pains. Lack of space prohibited them from being able to have fellowship meals or functions at the church and they had to rent space elsewhere for those functions. The nursery was overflowing with children, and on Sunday mornings the sanctuary could not contain everyone who was in attendance. The church eventually had to set up a television downstairs in the choir room, as a space for the overflow of people attending service; and begin broadcasting the service so that those downstairs could watch. To God be the glory!

In 2001, the church first began working on plans to build an addition to the existing church. After much planning, a groundbreaking finally occurred on August 3, 2003, and was officiated by Deacons Tom Shannon and Gary Shifflett. The new addition would add approximately 15,000 square feet to the existing facilities and would include: a new sanctuary (capable of holding just under 500 people, counting the choir space), 8 new classrooms, a large choir room, a pastor’s study, a secretary’s office, a sound technician’s room, new bathroom facilities, extra nursery space, a beautiful foyer, and finally, a large fellowship hall with a state-of-the-art kitchen, complete with all the necessary equipment to handle the needs of this growing church!

After much work and many setbacks, the new facility was finally approved for use and the first service was held on Sunday, November 13, 2005. What a blessing to once again have a whole church family together for service! Praise God for His many blessings!

In 2012, Pastor Wendell Lamb felt the need to retire and passed the church off to Brother Tim Whiteheart. Pastor Tim served here at Bethel Baptist Church for 7 years before moving on.

Pastor Dave Conyers was voted in as the new pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in September of 2019. He is challenging the church to refocus our attention on continuing steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And praying that the Lord will add to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:42+47). Will you pray with us for our growth?