About us
We are a company of people from differing backgrounds and ages who gather together to sing God’s praises and study God’s Word. Our aim is to know Jesus better and to make Jesus better known.
To know Jesus better and to make Jesus better known.
Elgin Baptist Church has been in existence for over 200 years; it was founded in 1808 and is part of the wider fellowship of the Baptist Union of Scotland. We hold to the historic truths of the Christian faith.
What to expect
We welcome you to Elgin Baptist Church. Thank you for visiting us and we pray that you will be blessed as we worship God together. The following is a guide to what happens in church.
Call to worship – A passage read from the bible that leads us into a time of praise.
Praise – Led by our musicians and supported by the words appearing on screen. We chose from a variety of songs and styles. We usually stand to sing and believe that praise is an important part of our coming together.
Prayer – Prayer is another major aspect of what we do and believe as a church. Throughout the service, there will be a number of prayers. Sometimes, there will be times of silence where in the quietness of our own hearts we can speak to God or just reflect on His amazing love towards us.
Children’s Talk – A short talk when the children come down to the front, followed by a song before they go out to the various groups that are available to them.
Sermon – The Bible is foundational to all we believe and teach and has a central role in all we do. It is our practise to systematically preach through a particular book. However, from time to time we will cover specific topics or Biblical characters. Normally the sermon will be between 25 – 30 minutes. We encourage you to think through what is being said and share any questions afterwards.
Communion – We believe this to be one of the two ordinances (the other being believers baptism) the Lord Jesus instructed His followers to obey. We have communion each week and it is a time to remember the death of Jesus as we break bread and drink from the cup. The communion table is open to all who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Meet our team
Graham Swanson
I was born in Glasgow and brought up in a Christian home by Godly parents who took me along to church every week. However by the time I reached the age of 14 I felt that church and God had no attraction for me and I turned my back on everything to do with God. In 1981 Luis Palau, an evangelist from Argentina came to the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow to hold a six week mission. It was on the last day of this mission, Sunday 7th June 1981 that God clearly spoke to me about my sin, His love and my need for forgiveness. It was there and then that I received Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, I was baptised and joined Harper Memorial Baptist Church in Glasgow where I met my wife (Susan) and we were in membership for over 20 years.
In 2000 I clearly felt led by God to apply to the Baptist Union in order to train for the ministry and after being accepted commenced a four year course of study at the Scottish Baptist College. Towards the end of the course I received and accepted a call to be the pastor here at Elgin and in August 2004 moved here with my wife and three daughters.
Murray Geddes
Fraser Norrie
Sandy Thomson
Gilbert Pellegrom
Matthew Clarke
Stephen Duff
Stephen Greeves
Ian Ross
Evelyn Newman
Statement of Faith
The Sovereignty and Grace of the Triune God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in creation, providence, revelation, redemption and final judgement.
The universal sinfulness and guilt of fallen man, making him subject to God’s wrath and condemnation.
The substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, as the sole and all-sufficient ground of redemption from the guilt and power of sin and its eternal consequence.
The priesthood of all believers, who form the universal Church, the Body, of which Christ is the Head, and which is committed by His command to the proclamation of the gospel throughout the world.
The Divine inspiration and infallibility of the Old and New Testaments as originally given and their consequent entire trustworthiness and supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
The justification of the sinner solely by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ who was crucified and bodily resurrected from the dead.
The illuminating, regenerating, indwelling, and sanctifying work of God the Holy Spirit.
The expectation of the personal, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ in power and glory.
The immortality of the soul; the resurrection of the body; the final judgement of all humankind.