Newtown Bible Church meets on Sugar Street in Newtown, Connecticut, in the rolling countryside of Fairfield County about an hour outside New York City. It is a non-denominational congregation that has built its identity around verse-by-verse exposition of Scripture, the doctrines of grace, and a steady stream of teaching resources drawn from the Master's Seminary tradition. People travel from across western Connecticut and the New Haven shoreline to hear the Word opened, to sing historic hymns with both adult and children's choirs, and to learn in coordinated Bible studies that reach every age group. What started as a small, ordinary church dedicated to preaching and expounding on God's Holy Word has grown into an active body of believers eager to put into action the truths they are learning about Jesus Christ.
God's Word at the Center
The doctrinal backbone of Newtown Bible Church is set out in a detailed Statement of Faith that runs across Scripture, the Trinity, mankind, salvation, the church, angels, and last things. The sixty-six books of the Bible are described as the plenary, verbally inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God, the only final authority for faith and practice. The Bible was given by a process of dual authorship, with the Holy Spirit superintending the human writers so that what they wrote are the very words of God, yet composed according to each author's individual style. The text is read by the literal, grammatical-historical method, and the opening chapters of Genesis are taken as presenting creation in six literal days. A book's canonicity is determined by its inspiration rather than by any human council. The Elder Board is recognized as the final interpretive authority for the congregation's doctrine and practice, while the Bible itself stands in judgment over every person, never the reverse.
God is one in essence and three in person - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each fully God and equal in the divine attributes. The Father orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose and grace, sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption. He has graciously chosen from eternity past those whom He would have as His own, and He saves and adopts all who come to Him through faith in His Son. The eternal Son, the second person of the Trinity, possesses all the divine perfections and is coequal, consubstantial, and coeternal with the Father. In His incarnation He united to His divine nature a true human nature in an indissoluble union and so became the God-Man. He was virgin-born, sinless in nature as well as in deed, and accomplished redemption through His sacrificial death on the cross - a death that was voluntary, vicarious, substitutionary, propitiatory, and redemptive. His resurrection guarantees the future resurrection of every believer, and He now sits at the Father's right hand as Advocate and High Priest. The Holy Spirit is the divine teacher who guided the writers of Scripture into all truth, the supernatural agent of regeneration, the one who baptizes all believers into the body of Christ, indwells every believer from the moment of salvation, administers gifts to the Church for the perfecting of the saints, and is sovereign in the bestowing of those gifts.
The church's doctrinal notes shape its self-understanding in concrete ways. The sign gifts, including speaking in tongues, are understood to have pointed to and authenticated the apostles as revealers of divine truth in the early church and are not regarded as characteristic of believers throughout the present age. Marriage is defined as the intimate, lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, and any sexual union outside that definition is taught as illegitimate. The sanctity of human life is affirmed from conception through natural death.
The church is Reformed and Baptist in its soteriology and order. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and is wholly God's work rather than any human merit. Election, regeneration, propitiation, expiation, redemption, justification, imputation, reconciliation, sanctification, security, and assurance are each given their own paragraph in the Statement of Faith, anchored in verses from Romans, Ephesians, 1 Peter, and other New Testament epistles. Election does not contradict the responsibility of individuals to repent and believe, and the elect cannot resist God's grace. Justification is an act of God declaring righteous those whom He has made righteous by grace through faith, involving the imputation of our sins to Christ and the imputation of Christ's righteousness to us. Sanctification has both a positional, instantaneous aspect completed at justification and a progressive aspect by which the Holy Spirit brings the believer's current state closer to his eternal standing. Security and assurance belong to every believer from the moment of salvation, even as Christian liberty is forbidden as an occasion for sinful living.
The church's eschatology is clearly outlined. Christ will return personally and bodily before a seven-year tribulation to translate His Church from the earth at the rapture. Following the tribulation He will return in glory to occupy the throne of David and establish His millennial kingdom. After the millennium, Satan will be released, deceive the nations, and be cast into the lake of fire along with all the unsaved at the Great White Throne Judgment. The saved will enter the eternal state of glory on a new earth where only righteousness dwells, and Christ will deliver up the kingdom to the Father so that the triune God will reign forever.
The Pastor and the Leadership of NBC
Joey Newton has served as pastor-teacher of Newtown Bible Church since August 2008. He holds a B.A. from The Master's College, an M.Div. from The Master's Seminary, and a Ph.D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He came to faith while in college and spent eleven years at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, where he served as a pastoral intern in children's ministry and then as an intern with The Master's Seminary. He moved east with his wife Trish and their three daughters to take up the pastorate at NBC.
Four men share the work of eldership alongside Pastor Newton. Jason Harbert, Matt Cunningham, Scott Waggner, and Bob Brainard serve as elders. Bob Brainard, in particular, is named as the teacher who leads the periodic baptism classes at the church.
Jon St. Jacques was invited in October 2020 to serve as Deacon of Music, overseeing congregational singing, special music, and the children's choir. A member since 2012, Jon has been involved in music ministry since nearly the same time he joined. He and his wife Heidi, who plays an important role alongside him, have five children and live in nearby New Milford. Jon has described the purpose of music at NBC as putting the glory and beauty of God on display, aiding the expression of delight and praise in the hearts of God's people, building up and encouraging the saints in truth, renewing their minds, and witnessing to the world the worthiness of God and all that He is for us in Christ.
Two women serve as deaconesses. Debra Vidalis, a member since 2010, oversees Ladies Discipleship and Resources, including the running of the church Book Nook. She taught Sunday School from 2012 to 2014, has served in women's ministry since 2011, leads Ladies Bible Studies, and is active in Ladies Discipleship. She and her husband George have five children and two grandchildren and live in Milford. Mervete Lekaj, originally from Kosovo, came to the United States in 1999 and was born again in 2017. She joined NBC in 2019, became a member in 2020, and was invited in 2022 to serve as deaconess for Ladies Discipleship. She teaches in the children's ministry as a Sunday School and Children's Church teacher, leads a Young Ladies Bible Study, and is active in Discipleship. Her own prayer is that she would count it all joy and honor to be a vessel in serving the body of Christ at NBC by His enabling - Soli Deo Gloria.
Sundays at Newtown Bible Church
Sunday at NBC follows a steady two-part rhythm. Sunday School runs from 9:45 to 10:30 AM, followed by the morning Worship Service from 10:45 AM to 12:15 PM. The congregation meets at 35 Sugar Street in Newtown, and services are open to visitors who wish to come and observe.
Worship is centered on the preaching of the Word. The church's stated purpose is to glorify God through Jesus Christ by the preaching of His God-breathed Word, so that believers are sanctified, sinners are saved, and Christ-centered fellowship and ministry produce lives captured by the single passion of knowing and serving Jesus Christ. Music is led from the front, with congregational singing supported by the adult choir and a separate children's choir.
For those who cannot attend in person, the Sunday service is broadcast on the church's YouTube channel under the title "LIVESTREAM." Sermon recordings are also posted afterward on SoundCloud, where the church page is labeled "LATEST SERMONS."
Generations of Grace: Children's Ministry
Children's ministry at NBC runs under the name Generations of Grace, a biblically based, God-centered curriculum designed for children from age three through sixth grade. Over a three-year cycle, the curriculum walks through the Old Testament historical books, the life of Christ, and lessons from Acts and Revelation, giving every child in the program a full sweep of redemptive history.
The Sunday School hour is structured into four age groups. Seeds is the nursery for children two years old and under. Sprouts covers age three through kindergarten. Saplings covers first through third grade. Roots is for fourth through sixth graders, meeting from 9:45 to 10:30 AM. Each week, every age group learns from the same passage of Scripture, taught in a way appropriate for their level. This unified curriculum makes it possible for families to discuss one passage together each week and reinforce the same lesson at home that the children hear in Sunday School.
Children's Church continues into the morning worship hour for the younger groups, and a children's choir rehearses after the service on Sundays, providing an early opportunity to learn the hymns and special music sung by the congregation. Adult choir members rehearse in the sanctuary at 1:00 PM, and the children's choir at 12:30 PM, both in the same space.
Women of the Word
The women's ministry at NBC is called Women of the Word, and its purpose is to disciple women to be worshippers of God in spirit and in truth. The ladies' ministry follows the Titus 2 pattern of older women training younger women, with regular Bible studies, book studies, and bi-monthly gatherings, all oriented toward the good of marriages, families, and singles within the church and toward the witness of women in the world as a city set on a hill.
Weekly and bi-weekly Bible studies are the backbone. On Tuesday evenings at 7 PM, women gather in New Haven and online via Zoom, working through Scripture Paths material. On Saturday mornings at 10 AM, on a bi-weekly schedule, women meet at the church using a John MacArthur study guide. On Thursday mornings at 10 AM, a book study on "The Transforming Power of Scripture" by John MacArthur meets at the church.
Several times a year the ministry gathers larger groups for Women of the Word events. Recordings available on the church's media page include a Snowflake Luncheon on Biblical Womanhood taught by Deaconess Debra Vidalis, an evening on Complementarianism vs Egalitarianism, an introduction to Biblical Womanhood taught by Pastor Joey Newton, and a teaching by Trish Newton on "Love on Display: Practicing the One Anothers." A Women of the Word Modesty gathering is held periodically, with flyers and a sign-up sheet in the church foyer.
Iron Sharpens Iron: Men's Ministry
The men's ministry at NBC goes by the name Iron Sharpens Iron, after the proverb that iron sharpens iron. Its stated purpose is to disciple, encourage, and serve one another in truth and in the knowledge of God through His Word.
The men currently meet on Saturday mornings at 8 AM at the church, working through a study built around Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul by John MacArthur. Books are available in the church Book Nook, and the men read and discuss together through the year.
Beyond Sunday: Wednesday Seminars and Home Groups
Outside of Sunday mornings, NBC sustains a steady weekly calendar of small groups and seminars designed to deepen members' grasp of Scripture.
Friday Night Home Groups meet at 6:30 PM in various locations around Connecticut. Recent studies have moved verse by verse through the book of Colossians, and men and women alike gather in homes to study, pray, and encourage one another across the region.
Wednesday evenings feature rotating seminars that meet at 6:30 PM in the Meeting Room at the church. Series have included New Testament Greek, a multi-level study of the biblical languages aimed at reading the Greek New Testament, and Becoming One, a course on marriage.
On Thursday evenings, the congregation gathers for Corporate Prayer at 7 PM, with prayer topics drawn from passages like Genesis 1:1, Romans 1:20, Job 12:7-10, Matthew 5:45, and Matthew 6:28-29. Jerry Kochman leads the gathering.
A book discussion series on Jonathan Edwards's Religious Affections has met on Saturday and Sunday afternoons at the church and parsonage, taking members through the classic in sections. The pastor and elders also lead periodic Baptism Classes during the Sunday School hour, with Bob Brainard teaching. These classes are intended for those preparing to make a public profession of faith and follow the Lord in baptism by immersion.
Music Ministry: Adult and Children's Choirs
Music at Newtown Bible Church is the responsibility of the Deacon of Music, with the explicit purpose of putting the glory and beauty of God on display, aiding the expression of delight and praise in the hearts of God's people, building up and encouraging the saints in truth, renewing their minds, and witnessing to the world the worthiness of God and all that He is for us in Christ.
The adult choir rehearses on Sundays after the service at 1:00 PM in the sanctuary, and the children's choir rehearses at 12:30 PM in the same space. Both choirs serve the worship gatherings by singing hymns and special music, drawing on a broad repertoire of congregational song that supports the expository preaching each week.
Missions, Outreach, and the Book Nook
NBC pursues a structured program of missions and outreach under the leadership of the elders, with the goal of obeying the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18. The church actively supports missionaries, regularly presenting their ministry to the congregation, praying for their work and families, and organizing short-term trips that expand the congregation's view of God's work around the world. The missions objectives include strengthening the relationship between the congregation and the supported missionaries, developing a comprehensive plan of engagement, planning short-term trips, and praying intelligently for the work and lives of missionary families.
Short-term missions are designed to encourage and support ministries either in direct relationship with NBC or consistent with the church's statement of faith. The objectives are to strengthen the church's relationship with supported missionaries and missions agencies, support the work of missionaries by providing extra manpower and resources, expand the congregation's view of God's work in the world, and increase the desire for evangelism and outreach in the local community.
Local outreach is intended to seek opportunities to engage the Newtown community with the gospel. The church prays regularly for its community, thinks strategically about outreach opportunities, and provides training for members who want to share their faith.
Inside the church, the Book Nook provides members with a curated selection of books, organized into sections for Devotionals, Theology, Biblical Studies, Family and Marriage, Counseling, Culture, Creation and Evolution, and Biography. It is run by Deaconess Debra Vidalis as part of her Resources portfolio, and titles from authors like John MacArthur, RC Sproul, J.I. Packer, Wayne Grudem, John Piper, Paul David Tripp, Alexander Strauch, R. Albert Mohler Jr., Tony Reinke, and many others are kept in stock for men and women in the church.
Two main ways to support the ministry are available on the giving page: by donating stock through a stock donation portal, and by giving through PayPal. Other gifts are received at the Sunday services.
Getting Connected
Newtown Bible Church is located at 35 Sugar Street in Newtown, Connecticut 06470, just off Main Street in the center of town. Visitors who want to know more can write to newtownbiblechurch@gmail.com or call the church office at (203) 426-6484.
Prospective members begin by speaking with one of the elders. The Constitution outlines a clear process: prospective members attend a class for prospective members, review the Statement of Faith and the Constitution, meet with the elders for a personal interview, and then, after expressing hearty agreement with the church's doctrine and testifying of personal faith in Christ, are received into membership.
Worship services are held every Sunday morning. For those who cannot attend in person, services are livestreamed on YouTube, with recordings of recent sermons available on SoundCloud. The church maintains active pages on Facebook and Instagram under the names Newtown Bible Church.
The facility itself is reserved for the use of NBC members in good standing and, by approval, members of like-minded churches that share the Statement of Faith. Weddings are performed at the church for biologically one man and one woman where both prospective spouses are members in good standing. The building is not available for general public rental, and use is not granted for events that contradict the church's faith or moral teachings. The elders reserve final say over all facility requests, and the church sees all of its property as holy and set apart to worship God.