This is our story…

Delight In God. Develop People. Deliver to the community

Who are we?

Waikanae Baptist Church was founded in the mid 1970s with the intention of spreading the life-changing message of Jesus Christ into the community of Waikanae. We started off in a small hall in the mid 1970s and by 1980 we built at our current location on Te Moana Road - right in the centre of Waikanae.

We believe in being a church community that is active outside the walls of our building. We are at the centre of Waikanae, not just physically, but spiritually and socially. It’s our desire to be a church which supports our community through the relationships, programmes, events and even the businesses (op-shop) that we are blessed with. Our people are involved in schools, rest homes, clubs, local events, community services - all sorts of the things that benefit Kapiti.

At the forefront of our story is a desire to be a church after “God’s heart”. We believe that worship is our primary role as humans. It is through worship that the transforming power of the Spirit operates. And only through the Spirit can we be empowered to create real change in our ourselves and our surroundings. Much like a ship, we are moved where the wave (God’s Spirit) takes us.

We also desire to be people who support other people in their faith, gifts and day to day lives. True and authentic church community is the best place for this to happen, and so our focus is building an encouraging environment.

Our Staff

Nigel Scott, Senior Pastor

Lisa Kelly, Office Administrator

Joy Sweeney, Assistant Pastor

Our Values

IN - RELATIONSHIP

  • We are privileged to belong to God’s family together and strive to show each other the same love, acceptance and forgiveness he has shown us.

SPIRIT LED

  • The vitality and direction the Spirit brings to life and mission is something we pursue and nurture.

PEOPLE FOCUSED

  • Because Jesus came seeking and saving the lost, offering them hope through transformed lives, we will focus on people in the same way.

INNOVATIVE

  • Biblical truth is timeless but methods, style and program must move with the times, so we seek to be innovative and relevant in all we do.

REVELATION

  • God reveals himself through the Scriptures and in the person of his Son, therefore the Bible is our authority in matters of faith and practice and will underpin our mission.

ENGAGED

  • All Christians are called to be engaged in the mission of God. Consequently, we strive to be a people characterized by passion for mission and service.

Our Beliefs

Here’s what we believe about…

  • We believe the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God and that it is the authority in matters of faith and practice.

  • We believe in one God who exists in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus Christ is the second member of the Trinity (the Son of God) who became flesh to reveal God to humanity and to become the Saviour of the lost world.

  • We believe that all people were created in the image of God to have fellowship with him but became alienated in that relationship through sinful disobedience. As a result, people are incapable of regaining a right relationship with God through their own efforts.

  • We believe that the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, provides the sole basis for the forgiveness of sin. Therefore, God freely offers salvation to those who place their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as sufficient payment for their sin.

  • We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit as the One who sets apart, empowers, and imparts spiritual gifts to the church. Our response to the Holy Spirit is one of surrender and dependency.

  • We believe all Christians should live for Christ and not for themselves. By obedience to the Word of God and daily yielding to the Spirit of God, every believer should mature and be conformed to the image of Christ.

  • We believe that baptism by immersion is the outward expression of the inward work of Christ in our lives. Baptism is encouraged to all those who have made a profession of faith.

  • We believe that the church is the body of Christ, of which Jesus Christ is the head. The members of the church are those who have trusted by faith the finished work of Christ. The purpose of the church is to glorify God by loving him and by making him known to the lost world.