Foundational Issues For
Imani Baptist Temple

Why the name?
"Imani" is a word of Swahili origin that means faith. Hebrews 11:6 states: "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."

Why be affiliated with a Baptist denomination?
Because in the words of Massey & McKinney, "Baptist church administration is predetermined by its high degree of local church autonomy. It is an instrument of self-determination, and self determination is part of the process of liberation." It was Howard Thurman, that great mystic and scholar, who once said, "There is so much local autonomy that any Baptist church can ordain its own men, it's not accountable to anybody beyond the congregation. I would say that its democratic practices in ordination account for the general appeal of the denomination. Not its religiosity, but the fact that in the Baptist denomination any man is as significant as any other. Even the headman is no longer head when the rest of us decide that he isn't."

What "core values" best describe our mission?
We seek to be a congregation that promotes consecration; provides consolation; and, produces cultivation through Jesus Christ. Romans 12:1 states: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." In 1 Thessalonians 5:11,14, we are instructed thusly: "Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also you do.. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men." Lastly, we find this instruction in Ephesians 4:14-15: "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ."

Are there limitations to expressing one's gift based on gender?
We embrace an interpretation of scripture that promotes inclusion rather than exclusion. Any text taken out of context is a pretense and prescription for peril. There is no clearer expression of unanimity in the Body of Christ than Galatians 3:28: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."