WHAT WE BELIEVE

Our Mission: Building Everyday People into Everyday Missionaries for Jesus Christ

We want everyone to get in on the everyday, Spirit-filled life of following Jesus. We believe that every person has a calling and that all disciples are "sent" - to a neighborhood or network of people - to make disciples.

Our Vision

We will become a multi-cultural, multiplying movement of disciples who love and serve their neighbors as they become like Jesus Christ.

What is an everyday missionary? 

Everyday missionaries are those who love God with their whole hearts, are being transformed together by the love of Jesus, and who are sent by the Spirit to love others in places where they live, work, and play.

Within this definition there are three movements: up (in our relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit), in (with brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ), and out (on mission to other people who do not know Jesus). We believe that when these three relationships are developing and in balance, the life of Christ continues through us and brings more of God's kingdom to earth.

Our History

Cliff Temple Baptist Church has been committed throughout its 120+ year existence to ministering to the needs of its North Oak Cliff community. From its beginning with 26 members in 1898, Cliff Temple has served in its local context by caring for practical needs and sending out people around the world to share the love of Christ. We're committed to loving God, loving people, and serving our city as we “re-dream” the Cliff Temple dream. While we celebrate the rich heritage that has brought us together, we also give thanks for the fresh new possibilities that are on our horizon.

Our values

In 2023, we hosted numerous gatherings and dinner parties at our church to ask the question, “what are stories you tell about Cliff Temple?” From these stories, here is what we learned about what we value at Cliff Temple:

Authenticity - We are real people welcoming real people to meet the real Jesus (Romans 3:23).

Family|Community|Belonging - We are a multigenerational family pointing one another toward our true home in God (Genesis 1:27,

1 Corinthians 12:12).

Resilience - We are resilient people who are faithfully (and sometimes stubbornly) present (Isaiah 41:10).

Generous Service - We are servants at heart (Matthew. 10:8).

Becoming a Member

"You are members of God's very own family ... and you belong in God's household with every other Christian." — Ephesians 2:19

Membership can be expressed at the conclusion of our Sunday services or during a visit with one of our ministerial staff. We recognize new members at the conclusion of each Sunday morning service, from the altar area or from their seat in the congregation. A person may be accepted for membership at Cliff Temple in one of the following ways:

By Salvation - Those inviting Christ into their lives to forgive them of their sin and take control of their lives, and who are willing to be baptized as a symbol of their acceptance of Christ.

By Transfer of Membership - Those who are already Christians and have a membership in another church where they have been baptized by immersion.

By Statement of Faith in Jesus Christ - Those who come from churches in other Christian denominations, including those who have been previously baptized in another denomination either by immersion or sprinkling.

If you would like to discuss this or any other decision, you may talk to one of our pastors by calling the church at  (214) 942-8601. Feel free to email questions or comments as well (info@clifftemple.org).

What is Discipleship?

When anyone enters into relationship with God through Jesus Christ, they are committing themselves to three things:

  1. To seek to love God with all of one's heart for the rest of one's life.

  2. To love one's other family members in the community of a local church, being transformed together.

  3. To share His love, in the power of the Holy Spirit, with others who don't know Him in the everyday places of life- where one lives, works and plays.