Santa Barbara Baptists

In the process of exploring all things spiritual in Santa Barbara, Your Worship has visited a variety of different churches and religious gatherings. However, for anyone who is unfamiliar with the incredible variety of religious offerings just in this town, let alone in the world as a whole, it’s hard to distinguish between prolific numbers of denominations, groups, and congregations. To this end, every fourth Sunday Your Worship will investigate a different religious denomination, to discover what sets them apart. What, for example, is the difference between a Seventh-Day Adventist congregation and a Methodist congregation, in terms of belief and ritual?

This week, we’re exploring what it means to be Baptist.

Santa Barbara has a variety of Baptist churches, which are listed at the end of this column. They vary in their demographic composition and of course their location, but all share several aspects of the way they practice Christianity.