Baptist churches are found in almost every country in the world. As part of the world-wide Christian church, Baptists form one of the largest families of faith, alongside other trinitarian Christian traditions such as Anglicans, Methodists, Reformed, etc. We, The Eden Church are a part of BUGB - The Baptist Union of Great Britain - and within that SEBA, the South East Baptist Association.

 

For Baptists the concept of a family is important. The church is not so much a particular place or building, but rather a family of believers, committed to Christ, to one another and to the service of God in the world.

 

In this Baptist family everybody is equal, for everybody has a part to play in the service of God. There is no hierarchy of bishops or priests exercising authority over their members. Equality of status, however, does not mean that all have the same role.

 

As a local Baptist church we would normally have a minister, but in 2025 we are in a period of pastoral vacancy. The church is led by the Trustees (Elders and Deacons), but regular church meetings give the opportunity for decisions to be made by the wider membership as a whole.

 

The Baptist way of being the church is living together in community; in a family, if you like, and this extends to other Christian Churches in the area. We are a part of the ECC - Eden Churches in Covenant - where members from all the Edenbridge Churches come together to share, support, collaborate and pray.