About Us

Humble Beginnings

Missionary Ralph Boersma started Bible studies at his Ray Street home in October 1977. Emmanuel Baptist Church was officially established in January 1979, initially meeting at Holmes Elementary School. In 1980, the church acquired property on Briggs Avenue and built a multi-purpose building in 1982. By April 1989, the church became self-supporting and called Dale Williams as their first Pastor.

The church added a parsonage in 1990, a new Sanctuary/Classroom/Office building in 1994, and a garage in 2000. Emmanuel Baptist has actively supported church planting and compassion ministries in the Chicago area and globally since it was founded.

Senior Pastor

Dale Williams has been a Pastor here at Emmanuel since March of 1989. He and Shirley were married in 1986. They have four children and four grandchildren. Whether it is taking a walk in Warrenville Grove, helping at Summer Daze, or serving in various community projects, they enjoy being a part of this vibrant community.

Dale is a graduate of Faith Baptist Bible College and counts it a privilege he has been able to see children that were born since he arrived in Warrenville, graduate from High school, go on for further training, and begin families of their own. He is a regular cross-country runner, and loves to backpack in wilderness areas.

We're on a mission to spread the gospel

Our Invitation

We invite you to come and visit us! Guests are a delight to us, and we believe you will find a warm welcome and a real interest in your spiritual well-being. We have screened, capable volunteers and teachers ready to help.

We are located inside the city limits of Warrenville (1/2 mile SW of the corner of Highways 59 and 56), but our postal address in Naperville, IL 60563-9686. This causes some confusion but your GPS will get you here.

Some of our folks dress more formally and others dress more casually. We ask everyone to strive for modesty and appropriateness in attire.

 

Our Values
  1. We value the straight forward teaching of God’s Word, the Bible, with expositional preaching and practical application for the daily living that followers of the Lord Jesus can grow in their personal walk with Him.
  2. We value an emphasis on personal holiness and Christian behavior in our personal, family, and church life so that we would bring honor to our God in what we say and do each day.
  3. We value conservative theological beliefs, which are enumerated in our Articles of Faith. We want to communicate the truth of the Bible and avoid the popular but passing religious fads of the day.
  4. We also value an approach to worship that emphasizes the worship of our holy God and service for Him. To this end we utilize both traditional hymns and appropriate modern music in a conservative manner.
Our Message

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”(John 3:16)

YOUR GOOD DEEDS OR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES CANNOT SAVE YOU
“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.”
(Romans 4:5)

“For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”(Ephesians 2:8-9)

RECOGNIZE YOU ARE A SINNER
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”(Romans 3:23)

REALIZE THERE IS A PRICE FOR SIN
“For the wages of sin is death.” “Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”
(Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:14)

BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHO DIED TO PAY THE PRICE OF SIN FOR YOU
“But God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”(Romans 5:8)

KNOW THAT GOD WILL SAVE YOU IF YOU CALL ON HIS NAME IN FAITH”
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”(Romans 10:13)

Baptist Distinctives

New Testament Distinctives of a Baptist Church

1. The authority of the Scriptures alone for faith and practice.
We are to organize and operate our churches according to the Word of God and not by traditions or man-made creeds
(2 Timothy 3:16-17).

2. The soul liberty of a believer.
Each believer is directly accountable to God and is subject to the Word of God. No man or woman can force their beliefs on another person or church without being contrary to God’s Word (Acts 5:29, Romans 14:5).

3. The Priesthood of the believer.
Each believer as a priest can draw near to God in full assurance of faith in our tasks for God, in prayer, in worship, and in confession of sins (1 Peter 2:5).

4. A regenerate, baptized membership.
The word of God clearly indicates that only regenerate (saved), immersed believers should be received into the local church (Acts 2:41, 8:36-38).

5. The two church ordinances of Baptism and Lord’s Supper.
They were ordained by Christ, observed by the churches of Acts, and organized as symbols in the Epistles
(Acts 2:41-42, 1 Corinthians 11: 23-34).

6. The sovereignty of the local church.
Each church is independent and governed by the people
(Acts 2:42).

7. The separation of the church and the state.
God’s Word gives no indication of one having authority over the other, but each one’s duties or authority is given separately (Matthew 18:15-17, Romans 13:1).

About You

Mission Statement

Emmanuel Baptist Church seeks to glorify God by perpetuating a fundamental Baptist assembly that is committed to: actively evangelizing the lost, effectively discipling the body of believers, and diligently holding fast to the Biblical faith.

Strategic Goals

We aim to communicate God’s Word in a complete and balanced manner, and to defend truth and the Body against error.

We aim to impact our community and the world with the Gospel of Christ through the means of Biblical, Holy Spirit driven methods.

We aim to disciple strong Bible-based families and individuals that actively walk with Christ.

We aim to cultivate a caring, Christ-like Church family that genuinely serves and loves one another.

We aim to reproduce godly leadership that can provide stable direction to the Body and equip it for ministry wherever God may lead them.

We aim to develop and maintain whatever physical and operational systems are needed in a manner marked by honesty and stewardship.

Articles of Faith

1. OF THE SCRIPTURE
We believe that the Holy Bible as originally written was verbally and plenarily inspired and is the product of Spirit-controlled men, and therefore is truth without any admixture of error for its matter. God is its Author, salvation is its end, it reveals the principles by which God will judge us; and is therefore, and shall remain to the end of the world, the center of true Christian unity and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions shall be tried
(2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1: 19-21).

2. OF THE TRUE GOD
We believe that there is one and only one living and true God, an infinite, sovereign Spirit, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption (Exodus 20: 2-3, 1 Corinthians 8: 6, Revelation 4: 11, 1 John 5: 7).

A. God, the Father
We believe in God the Father, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, and measureless in power. We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all that come to Him through Jesus Christ (Isaiah 6: 3, Psalms 139: 1-6, Job 38-41, John 6: 37).

B. God, the Son
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem man (John 1: 14).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead
(1 Peter 2: 4, Ephesians 1: 7).

We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Intercessor and Advocate (Hebrews 7: 25, 1 John 2: 1).

C. God, the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the Evil One until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; that He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the Agent in the new birth and that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer (John 14: 16-17, Matthew 28: 19, Hebrews 9: 14,
John 14: 26, Luke 1: 35, Genesis 1 1-3, John 16: 8-11, Acts 5: 30-32, John 3: 5-6, Ephesians 1: 13-14, Mark 1: 8, John 1: 33, Acts 11: 16, Luke 24: 49, Romans 8: 14, 16, 26, 27).

3. OF THE DEVIL, OR SATAN
We believe in the personality of Satan, that he is the unholy god of this age, and the ruler of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire (Matthew 4: 1-11, 2 Corinthians 4: 4, Revelation 20: 10).

4. OF CREATION
We believe the Genesis account of creation as being neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct, immediate creative Acts of God without any evolutionary process; that man, spirit, soul, and body, was created by a direct work of God and not from previously existing forms of life; and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race (Genesis 1&2, Colossians 1: 16-17, John 1: 3).

5. OF THE FALL OF MAN
We believe that man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker; but by voluntary transgression Adam fell from his sinless and happy state, and all men sinned in him, in consequence of which all men all are totally depraved, are partakers of Adam’s fallen nature, and are sinners by nature and by conduct; and therefore are under just condemnation without defense of excuse (Genesis 3: 1-6, Romans 3: 10-19, Romans 5: 12,19, Romans 1: 18, 32).

6. OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH
We believe that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner, born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever born or can ever be born of woman, and that He is both the Son of God and God the Son (Genesis 3: 15,
Isaiah 7: 14, Matthew 1: 18-25, Luke 1: 35, John 1: 14, Hebrews 1: 8).

7. OF THE ATONEMENT FOR SIN
We believe that the salvation of sinners is divinely initiated and wholly of grace through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him our nature, yet without sin, honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins; that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust; Christ, the Lord, bearing our sin in His own body on the tree; that having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in Heaven, and uniting in His Wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, compassionate and an all-sufficient Savior (Ephesians 2: 8, Acts 15: 11, Romans 3: 24-25, John 3: 16, Matthew 18: 11, Phillippians 2: 7, Hebrews 2: 7, Isaiah 54: 4-7,
1 John 4: 10, 1 Corinthians 15: 3, 2 Corinthians 5:21).

8. OF GRACE IN THE NEW CREATION
We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about in a manner above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith and newness of life (John 3: 3,8, 2 Corinthians 5: 17,19, 1 John 3: 6-7, 5: 1,
Acts 16: 30-33, 2 Peter 1: 4, Romans 6: 23, Ephesians 2:1, Colossians 2: 13).

9. OF JUSTIFICATION
We believe that justification is the judicial act of God whereby He declares us to be righteous through faith in Christ Jesus; that justification includes the pardon of sin and the imputation of God’s righteousness. It is not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood (Acts 13: 39, Isaiah 53: 11, Zechariah 13: 1,
2 Corinthians 5: 18-21, Romans 5:1,8, 9).

10. OF REPENTANCE
We believe that repentance is a changed mind and purpose toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit; that it is characterized by godly sorrow for sin as offensive to God and ruinous to the soul; and that true repentance is inseparably related to true faith (Luke 13: 1-3, 15: 7, Acts 8: 22, Romans 2: 4, 2 Corinthians 7: 10, Acts 20: 21).

11. OF FAITH AND SALVATION
We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation (Acts 16: 31, Ephesians 2: 8-10,
John 3: 16-18).

12. OF SANCTIFICATION
We believe that sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God, accomplished in a threefold manner: (1.) an eternal act of God, based upon redemption in Christ, establishing the believer in a position of holiness at the moment he trusts the Savior; (2.) a continuing process in the saint as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to their life; (3.) the final accomplishment of this process at the Lord’s return for the believer in the rapture (Hebrews 10: 10-14,
John 17: 17, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 1 Corinthians 1: 30, Ephesians 5: 24-27, 1 Thessalonians 4: 3-4, 1 John 3: 2, Jude 24-25).

13. OF THE SECURITY OF THE SAINTS
We believe that all who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ (Philippians 1: 6, John 10: 28-29, Romans 8: 35-39, Jude 1).

14. OF THE CHURCH
We believe in the unity of all true believers in the Church which is the Body of Christ, which was established on the Day of Pentecost, and that all believers, from Pentecost to the Rapture, both Jews and Gentiles, are added to this Church by the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
We believe that this Church is manifested through the local church which is a congregation of immersed believers associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word; and that its officers are pastors and deacons, whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the Scripture. We believe the true mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity. We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government, free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; that the one and only superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit; that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the gospel; that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and the method of its cooperation; and that on all matters of membership, of polity, of government, of discipline, of benevolence, the will of the local church is final
(Ephesians 3: 1-6, 1 Corinthians 12: 12-13, Acts 2: 41-42,
1 Corinthians 11: 2, Ephesians 1: 22-23, 4: 11, Acts 20: 17-28,
1 Timothy 3: 1-7, Colossians 1: 18, Ephesians 5: 23-24,
Acts 15: 13-18).

15. OF BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER
We believe that there are two church ordinances; Baptism and the Lord’s Supper and that the participants are believers. Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, under the authority of the local church, to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior. It pictures our death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Baptism is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes, and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination. We believe that the Biblical order of the ordinances is baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and that participants should be immersed believers. (Acts 8: 36,38,39, John 3: 23, Romans 6: 3-5, Matthew 3:16, Colossians 2: 12, 1 Corinthians 11: 23-28, Matthew 28: 19-20,
Acts 2: 41-42).

16. OF THE MINISTRY AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts; and that the gifts of evangelists, pastors and teachers are sufficient for the perfection of the saints today. We believe that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established (Ephesians 4: 7-12,
1 Corinthians 13: 8-13).

17. OF SEPARATION
We believe that all believers should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Lord. Separation from all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations; and from all religious apostasy (departure from the Bible faith), both apostate persons and organizations, and from brethren who co-operate with them, is commanded of God
(Romans 12: 1-2, 2 Corinthians 6: 11-7: 1, 2 Timothy 3: 1-5,
2 Thessalonians 3: 6,14, Romans 16: 17, 2 John 7-11).

18. OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that only those who are justified by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of our God are truly righteous in His esteem; while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked and under the curse. This distinction holds among men both in life and after death, in the everlasting happiness of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost in the lake of fire (Malachi 3: 18, Genesis 18: 23, Romans 6: 17-18,
1 John 5: 19, Romans 7: 6, 6: 23, Proverbs 14: 32, Luke 16: 25, Matthew 25: 34-41, John 8: 21, Revelation 20: 14-15).

19. OF ISRAEL
We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God’s eternal covenant people, that she is now dispersed because of her disobedience and rejection of Christ, and that she will be regathered in the Holy Land, and after the completion of the Church, will be saved as a nation at the second coming of Christ (Genesis 13: 14-17, Romans 11: 1-32, Ezekiel 37).

20. OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed; except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming Prince of the Kings of the Earth (Romans 13: 1-7, 2 Samuel 23: 3, Exodus 18: 21-22, Acts 23: 5, Matthew 22: 21, Acts 5: 29,
Acts 4: 19-20, Daniel 3: 17-18).

21. OF THE RAPTURE AND SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
We believe in the imminent, premillennial return of Christ for His Church, and that at that moment the dead in Christ shall be raised in glorified bodies, and the living in Christ shall be given glorified bodies without tasting death, and all shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air before the seventieth week of Daniel (1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18,
1 Corinthians 15: 42-44, 51-54, Philippians 3: 20-21,
Revelation 3: 10).

We believe that the Great Tribulation will be culminated by the personal, visible return of Christ to earth with His Saints, in power and great glory to judge the nations and set up His Millennial Kingdom and reign upon the throne of David
(Acts 1: 11, Matthew 24: 27-51, 25: 31-46, Jude 14-15,
Revelation 19: 11-21, 20: 1-6).

New Testament Distinctives of a Baptist Church

1. The authority of the Scriptures alone for faith and practice.
We are to organize and operate our churches according to the Word of God and not by traditions or man-made creeds (2 Tim. 3: 16-17).

2. The soul liberty of a believer.
Each believer is directly accountable to God and is subject to the Word of God. No man or woman can force their beliefs on another person or church without being contrary to God’s Word (Acts 5: 29, Rom. 14: 5).

3. The Priesthood of the believer.
Each believer as a priest can draw near to God in full assurance of faith in our tasks for God, prayer, in worship, and in confession of sins (1 Pet.2:5).

4. A regenerate, baptized membership.
The word of God clearly indicates that only regenerate (saved), immersed believers should be received into the local church (Acts 2: 41, 8: 36-38).

5. The two church ordinances of baptism and Lord’s Supper.
They were ordained by Christ, observed by the churches of Acts, and organized as symbols in the Epistles (Acts 2: 41-42, 1 Cor. 11: 23-34).

6. The sovereignty of the local church.
Each church is independent and governed by the people (Acts 2: 42).

7. The separation of the church and the state.
God’s Word gives no indication of one having authority over the other, but each one’s duties or authority is given separately (Matt. 18: 15-17, Rom. 13: 1).