The mission of Bethany Church is to offer ourselves as a community of faith in service and love in the name of Jesus Christ. We are in covenant with God and our community, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to care for one another and to share ministry with the world.

Our vision is to reach the lost for Christ, to make dicsiples of all nations. We seek be a vibrant, dynamic community of faith that engages our local community, state, nation, and the world with the Gospel of Christ.  We seek to expand the Kingdom of God as we spread the message of Christ through personal discipleship, small group discipleship, Sunday School, Worship services, evangelism, missions, and fellowship. 

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has
eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Genesis 1:1, 26, 27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2, Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2
Corinthians 13:14.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus lived a sinless human
life and offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by
dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate his
power over sin and death. He ascended into heaven and will come again to judge
the living and the dead, and to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Matthew 1:22, 23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1
Corinthains 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:15; Titus 2:13.

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son. He
is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He
also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation providing power for
living, understanding of spiritual truth and guidance in doing what is right. 2
Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-14, 16-17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16;
Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18.

The Bible is God’s Word to us and is how God speaks and
reveals Himself to His followers. We believe the Bible is eternal and true. It
was written by human authors fully inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is the
primary source of truth for Christian belief and living. All that is essential
to salvation and Christan living is found in the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter
1:20-21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105, 160; Psalm 12:6; Proverbs 30:5.

It is impossible for any of us to reach our full potential
on our own. In and of ourselves we lack the power to become better people. God,
however, reaches out to us. Salvation is God’s free gift to us, but we must
claim it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works.
Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be
saved from their sin. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus
in faith we are saved. Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6; John 1:12;
Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1. 

Baptism is the first act of obedience God asks us to do once
we believe and decide to spend our lives following Him. Baptism is an outward
symbol of an inward change. At Bethany Church of Lexington this is something we
celebrate together as a church family. As a follower of Jesus, baptism is a
public statement that your faith and commitment to Him is real. We are not
called to live our lives alone, but to find a growing community with which to
share life and experience. Through baptism we are asking our family of faith to
walk with us in a way that brings Glory to God.  Through baptism we are joined with the church and with
Christians everywhere. Baptism is a symbol of new life and a sign of God’s love
and forgiveness of our sins. Persons of any age can be baptized. Bethany Church
baptize with water by sprinkling, or pouring.

We believe that the term “marriage” has only one legitimate
meaning, and that is marriage sanctioned by God, which joins one man and one
woman in a single, covenantal union as delineated by Scripture. Marriage
ceremonies performed in any facility or space owned, leased, or rented by this
church will be only those ceremonies sanctioned by God, joining one man with
one woman as their genders were determined by anatomy at birth (and not subject
to change). Whenever there is a conflict between the church’s position and any
new legal standard for marriage, the church’s statement of faith, doctrines,
and biblical positions will govern. (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:22-23; Mark 10:6-9; 1
Cor. 7:1-9)

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual
activity be engaged in outside of marriage as defined in (a) above. We believe
that any other type of sexual activity, identity, or expression that lies
outside of this definition of marriage, including those that are becoming more
accepted in the culture and the courts, are contradictory to God’s natural
design and purpose for sexual activity. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5; Lev. 18:1-30;
Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9-10; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)

We believe that God creates each person as male or female.
These two distinct, unchangeable genders together reflect the image and nature
of God, and the rejection of one’s biological gender is a rejection of the
image of God within that person. (Genesis 1:26-27)

Love. We believe that we should demonstrate love for others,
not only toward fellow believers, but also toward those who are not believers,
those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. We are to deal
graciously, humbly, gently, and patiently with those who oppose us. God forbids
the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or use of
violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal
justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and
pray for any person who engages in such actions. (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 5:44-48;
Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Phil. 2:2-4; 2 Tim.
2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 Peter 3:8-9; 1 John 3:17-18

Bethany Church had its beginning near the start of the 20th From 1905-1937, Bethany Church existed as a one room wooden structure about one mile from its current location. By 1938, membersrecognized the need for a lagrer church facility. A new brick structure was constructed. The new church contained four sunday school classrooms, two bathrooms, and a basement kitchen was added in 1953. During the period from 1938-1953, Bethany shared a minister with four other churches.

In 1955, the ministry of Bethany moved from a four-church pastoral appointment, to a two-church pastoral appointment. The church built a parsonage for the minister and minister’s family. In 1968, a fellowship hall was constructed. From 1969-1990, Bethany Church shareda minister with Macedonia UMC in Southmont, NC.  

An athletic complex was contructed in 1984, and the present Educational Building and Fellowship Hall was constucted in 1989. As the church grew, leaders and members had a vision for a new sanctuary. In 2003, the a new sanctuary was constructed and it is our current facility. 

In 2023, Bethany disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church. Bethany Church of Lexington now exists as an independent, non-denominational church body. As was the goal of the thriteen charter members of the orginal Bethany Church, our present congregation seeks to meet the spiriutal needs of our members and community.