“O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” Psalms 34:3

Victory Baptist Church of Sherwood Park was established in May of 1980 as a church planting endeavour under the leadership of Pastor David Harness, Sr. The goal from the very outset was to be an evangelistic, Bible-based church. In 1992 we were able to purchase 9.5 acres of land. Construction of our current church building began in 1998, and in April of 2000 we dedicated the building to the glory of God.

 

Victory Baptist Church is independent: we are not affiliated with any denomination or convention. We do fellowship and cooperate with other churches of like faith and order. 

 

We are fundamental – holding to and defending the historic foundational truths of the Christian faith.  We use only the King James Version of the Bible and sing the traditional songs and hymns of the faith.

 

Furthermore, we are Baptist – believing and practicing the historic and Biblical distinctives of the Baptists which are:

• Biblical Authority – the Bible is the final authority in all areas of faith and practice because the Bible is inspired by God and bears the absolute authority of God Himself: therefore, whatever the Bible affirms, we accept as true;
• Autonomy of the Local Church – the church is an independent body of believers accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church;  all human authority for governing the local church resides within the local church itself; thus the church is autonomous, or self-governing: no religious hierarchy or civil governments outside the local church may dictate a church’s beliefs or practices;
• Priesthood of the Believer – every believer is a priest unto God and may enter into His presence at any time through our High Priest, Jesus Christ;
• Two Ordinances – Baptism (immersion) in water for believers, which is a picture and testimony of the spiritual reality that every believer is crucified, buried, and risen with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ; and the Lord’s Table, or communion, commemorating His death for our sins; 
• Individual Soul Liberty – every individual, whether believer or unbeliever, has the liberty to choose what he believes is right in the religious realm, and that no person should be forced to assent to any belief against his will: therefore, Baptists have always opposed religious persecution;
• Saved, Baptized Church Membership – church membership is restricted to individuals who give a believable testimony of personal faith in Christ and have publicly identified themselves with Him in believer’s baptism;
• Two Offices – the Bible mandates only two offices in the church: pastor (the three terms “pastor,” “elder,” and “bishop” all refer to the same office) and deacon; these two offices exist within the church, not as a hierarchy outside or over the church;
• Separation of Church and State – God established both the church and the civil government, and He gave each its own distinct sphere of operation: the government’s purposes are outlined in Romans 13:3-7 and 1 Peter 2:14, and the church’s purposes in Matthew 28:19-20; neither should control the other, nor should there be an alliance between the two; Christians in a free society can properly influence government towards righteousness, which is not the same as a denomination or group of churches controlling the government.

We are an evangelistic church: we seek to faithfully preach the Gospel to the lost at home, and to those abroad through missionary outreach. Our ultimate purpose is to be to the praise and glory of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:12, 14 and 3:21).

 

Victory Baptist Church has a global vision. We believe in taking the Great Commission literally and believe that church planting is the key to effective world evangelism.  We have planted churches throughout Alberta: New Testament Baptist Church in Edmonton; Lakeside Baptist Church in Cold Lake; and Hinton Baptist Church in Hinton. Several other members have been trained, sent out, and are now serving in other churches. We financially support over 35 missionaries and ministries throughout the world.