ABOUT US

OUR PASTOR

Dan Steward is the founding pastor of Lighthouse Baptist Church. He graduated from Maranatha Baptist Bible College in 1985, and married his wife, Terri, in 1986. The Lord has blessed them with four children who are married and serving the Lord in their local churches, and an expanding bunch of Grandkids.

 

The Stewards have been in full-time ministry for over 35 years. Pastor Dan worked with Youth for several years in two churches in his home state of Michigan, before moving to Terri's home state of Pennsylvania for seminary. The Lord led them to plant Lighthouse Baptist in 1994.

 

Pastor Dan & Terri are extremely grateful for the wonderful people God has given them to serve with at Lighthouse!

OUR BELIEFS
  • SCRIPTURES

    We believe the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, to be the verbal, plenary, inspired Word of God; inerrant in the original writings, and that they are the only supreme and final authority in faith and life (2 Tim. 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:21).

  • TRINITY

    We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:1; Mt. 28:19; John 10:30; Acts 5:3,4).

  • CHRIST

    We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, was born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true man (Isaiah 7:14; Mt. 1:18-25; Col. 2:9).

  • MAN

    We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God, and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are now sinners by birth and by choice, positively inclined to evil, and are therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin without defense or excuse (Gen. 2:17; Ps. 51:5; 58:3; Rom. 1:20, 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 2:14).

  • ATONEMENT

    We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood (Rom. 5:9; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 1:18,19, 2:14).

  • RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

    We believe in the bodily resurrection of our Lord, His bodily ascension into Heaven and His bodily presence there for us as High Priest and Advocate (Acts 1:9-11; 1 Cor. 15:1-4, 20-25; Heb. 7:25).

  • RETURN OF CHRIST

    We believe in the “blessed hope” - the personal, bodily pre-tribulation, pre-millennial, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Mt. 24:44; John 14:1-3; 2 Thess. 2).

  • SALVATION

    We believe that salvation is offered to all, and that all who truly repent of their sins and believe on and receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit, and are thereby children of God and are eternally saved (John 3:3; Gal. 3:24-26; 1 John 5:13; 2 Peter 3:9).

  • SATAN

    We believe that Satan is literal and personal, the agent of the fall, the prince and power of this world, and that he shall be judged and eternally punished (Eph. 2:1-4; Rev. 20:2-10).

  • ETERNAL STATE

    We believe in 1) the bodily resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust, 2) the eternal, conscious punishment of the lost in a literal lake of fire, and 3) the eternal joy of the saved in the presence of the Lord (1 Thess. 4:16-18; Rev. 20).

  • BAPTISM

    We believe in 1) that immersion is the only mode of baptism taught and commanded in the Scriptures, 2) that it has no saving power, 3) and that the new birth, which comes through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is the scriptural prerequisite to baptism.  Therefore, only those who are old enough to believe for themselves should be baptized (Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:1-5).

  • LORD'S TABLE

    We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial of the death of Christ, and that only those who have been saved through faith in His atoning blood and are walking in obedient fellowship with Him ought to partake of it.  We do not believe in closed communion (1 Cor. 11:23-32).

  • OFFICERS

    We believe that the Bible teaches that the following offices of the church should be held by men only (1 Tim. 2:12; Acts 15).  1) Pastor  2) Assistant Pastor  3) Deacons

  • CHURCH

    We believe that a New Testament church is a body of baptized believers, assembled for worship, service, and the spread of the Gospel into all the world (Mt. 28:19,20; Acts 1:8).

  • SEPARATION

    We believe that all the saved are called into a life of separation from all worldly and sinful practices (Rom. 12:1,2; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17).

  • ABORTION

    We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being.  Abortion constitutes the unjustified, un-excused taking of unborn human life.  Abortion is murder.  We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well being of the mother are acceptable (Job. 3:16; Ps. 51:5, 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24, 49:1-5; Jer. 1:5, 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).

New Church Building Concept Art

Pray for our Future Building on our 8 acres on Old Easton Road in Plumstead Township!

CHURCH HISTORY

Lighthouse Baptist was planted through the ministry of Faith Baptist Church of Sellersville under the leadership of Pastor Paul Auckland. Pastor Paul saw the need to have a fundamental Baptist church in the Doylestown area to minister to a number of members who were traveling quite a distance to Faith. Bob & Ann Robinson, John & Nancy Rost, Ray & Harriet Kaslauskas, Alby & Joan Cornell, Tim & Linda Musselman, and Dave & Kim Behrig joined the Stewards in beginning this new work in the fall of 1994

 

The very first services began in their homes, but the church did not have a name until 9 year old Rachel Behrig suggested "Lighthouse Baptist Church" taken from Bible verse Matthew 5:14.

 

The first "official" Sunday services were held on December 4, 1994, at the "Time for Tots Day Care" on York Road in Buckingham. Because the facilities were only available on Sunday's and Wednesday nights, a crew was needed to set up and store things away for all the services.   After the first year, with the rent being raised, the congregation began searching for a more suitable meeting place.

Bob Robinson wrote a letter to the chairman of Tyro Hall Grange asking to rent their building. Organized in 1912, the Buckingham Grange had since merged with Plumsteadville Grange. Granges were established for the economic, educational, and political betterment of farmers. In the mid 1990's, the Grange was disbanding and the building was partially rented to an auctioneer. After agreements were made, Lighthouse Baptist moved in April 1996 to the Grange building. Within a few years, the church was given sole use and responsibility for the facilities, and many improvements were made, including the creation of office space for the pastor, carpeting the auditorium, repaving the parking lot, and the expansion of both the ladies and men's room from tiny "closets" to fully modern and handicap accessible facilities.

 

In 2018, the church purchased 8 acres of land on Old Easton Road in Plumstead Township, just north of Doylestown, with a goal of putting up a new facility that will seat 300 people. We praise the Lord for the prospect of continuing to grow and minister in the Central Bucks area!