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About us:
 Dolores Street Baptist Church is composed of believers from a variety of Christian denominations and traditions. Our congregational life is shaped by historic Baptist principles: soul freedom; the priesthood of all believers; local church autonomy; and a confessional relationship between to God in Jesus Christ as the central criterion for church membership. If you are looking for a church home, we encourage you to explore the life and ministry of our community of faith.
Vision:
We believe that our church can be a different kind of church: one that doesn't care about class, ethnic background and nationality; one where sex and gender are not issues and all people are treated fairly and equally; one that is inclusive and affirms all people as God's children; one that believes only in love and grace, and uses them to bring about a more peaceful world; one that is willing to be home and family to the poorest of the poor and the outcast; one that worships a God who is both loving father and mother; one that actively seeks to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.
 Inclusivity and Language - Dolores Street Baptist Church welcomes all persons who come to share it worship and life. We seek to be inclusive because words have power to affect people's attitudes, influence their actions, and shape their views of God, God's world, and God's people. We make an effort therefore to avoid using words that exclude because of gender, race or handicap, or that use militaristic or unduly hierarchical imagery. Because all attempts to revise Scripture and traditional hymnody involve compromise, we respond in a variety of ways. We frequently use inclusive versions of Scripture. Hymns not in the hymnal, hymns with major changes, and recommendations for minor substitutions are printed in the bulletin. For some, these efforts may stimulate fresh meaning; for others, they may put obstacles in the way of worship. Familiarity, specific literary images, and--not least of all--our concern for the beauty of language persuade us occasionally to use material that is not inclusive. We hope that patience and appreciation for inclusiveness will enable all to participate fully even when our practice may not always be consistent. The command to love God and neighbor calls us to look to God beyond the words and to choose language which witnesses to that love. When inclusive language is used, we hope it will enrich our worship and our life together.
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Fire:
 Dolores Street Baptist Church lost its place of worship during the summer of 1993. The building had been constructed in 1904 and survived the earthquake and fire in 1906. Originally it had been Swedish Evangelical Lutheran.
On August 2, 1993, our historic church building was destroyed by an arsonist's match. Three days prior to the fire, we received an arson threat from an individual claiming he was from the Arian Brotherhood. His stated reasons were that the church did not care about white people. The homeless shelter, still housed in the fire-damaged Victorian House adjacent to the old church building, caters to the hispanic community. The shelter is one of four run by our sister agency, Dolores Street Community Services which we founded in 1982.
The church presently worships at 1268 Sanchez St, with Bethany United Methodist Church. Worship services are at 11 A.M. There is a community garden where the old church building used to stand. It is at Dolores and 15th.
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ABC:
SAN FRANCISCO'S ONLY GAY-FRIENDLY BAPTIST CHURCH WITHDRAWS ITS APPLICATION TO THE AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCHES OF THE WEST.
Prompted by Region's decision to restrict gay-friendly churches from membership, Dolores Street Baptist Church ends its eight-year application to affiliate with the local American Baptist Region.
(San Francisco, October 13, 1995) The members of Dolores Street Baptist Church have voted to withdraw their eight-year application to become a Cooperating Church of the American Baptist Churches of the West (ABCW). Their application had been tabled by the North Coastal Association of the ABCW since 1987 because of Dolores Street's policy of accepting everyone into full membership, including gay men and lesbians.
"Not only is this action unjust, it is also un-Baptist," said the Rev. Doug Donley, Pastor of the Dolores Street Baptist Church, which now meets at 938 Valencia Street since an arsonist destroyed their church building in August of 1993. "Until now, there has always been room for a variety of perspectives and viewpoints on complex theological, social, and ethical issues. Our differences have always served to enhance our relationships."
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SBC:
We, the members of Dolores Street Baptist Church, make the following decision with a great deal of sadness. Many of us were born into the Southern Baptist family. Others of us chose to join it. We have been baptized, raised, educated, ordained, and employed as Southern Baptists. We say this to emphasize that we do not make this decision lightly but with much consideration and prayer. Even so, we find ourselves heavy-hearted.
We in this congregation have said repeatedly for many years that we would never leave the Southern Baptist Convention. As a church, we have done nothing to betray the principles distinctive to Baptist heritage. On the contrary, we have worked hard and diligently to uphold these principles and have generously supported Southern Baptist missions efforts here and around the world.
We accepted with regret and much pain the decisions of the San Francisco Peninsula Southern Baptist Association and the Southern Baptist General Convention of California to withdraw fellowship from our church. Even after the Home Mission Board withdrew its financial support for our ministries, we continued to support Southern Baptist work and missions with our offerings until the State Convention refused to accept them. Following even that action, we have continued to send a small amount to the Cooperative Program and to support wholeheartedly specific Southern Baptist missions causes.
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