Our Beliefs
Are you looking for purpose, promise, and hope?
Here at First Baptist, we are a family-friendly congregation of people who celebrate life in Jesus together! We’re a diverse congregation, spanning all ages and generations. What draws us together is our common faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and our commitment to living out the Christian life as the Bible leads us.
Our Mission:
Our Desire at First Baptist Church is to help you find purpose, promise, and hope in a daily relationship with Jesus Christ.
Our Vision:
God has created us for five specific purposes:
- To worship Him
- To be a part of His family, the Church
- To grow to be more like Christ
- To serve God by serving others
- To share the message of Jesus Christ
Our Values:
As God’s people, we hold these core values:
We have JOY in the Lord.
Having experienced the joy of knowing Jesus, we strive to reflect that joy in every daily interaction with others.
We are CHRIST-CENTERED.
It’s all about Jesus. In every part of our personal lives and our church ministry, the life of Jesus is the basis for our faith, our hope and our actions.
We strive for RELEVANCE in all we do.
We strive to make the teachings of the Bible and the activities of the church easily understood and readily applicable to the lives of ordinary people in an ever-changing culture. We are a PRAYING people. We believe in the power and necessity of prayer. In our prayers, we seek to hear God’s voice, to discern God’s will, and we intercede for our church, our community, our world and ourselves on a daily basis.
We practice STEWARDSHIP in every area of life.
We recognize God’s ownership of all things, and our role as stewards. We honor God by caring for the things He has entrusted to us, and we return a portion of our income for the health and growth of the church and its ministries.
We believe EVERYONE MATTERS to God and to us.
Because all persons are created in God’s image, we treat all persons with respect and love, regardless of differences which seem to separate us.
We SHARE Christ with others.
We strive to introduce others to Jesus Christ, so they may develop a saving relationship with Him.
We do everything to the BEST of our abilities.
We seek personal excellence in everything we do, so that God is honored and others are attracted to His church
What We Believe
The Nature of God
We believe in the one, living and eternal God who is the Creator of all. He is holy, perfect, and living in nature. God is personal in that He concerns Himself with the affairs of all people. God has revealed Himself as God, the Father, Jesus Christ the virgin-born Son, and the Holy Spirit, all of whom are the same essence though distinct in personality. Deuteronomy 6:4; John 1:1-13
The Inspiration of Scripture
We believe that each word, as well as the whole of the message of scripture, was inspired by God. Therefore, we affirm that the Bible is the sole authority for Christian faith and practice. Timothy 3:16-17:2; Peter 1:20-21
The Existence of Satan
We believe in the existence of Satan and his demons, the enemies of God and humankind, who seek unlawful dominion through the overthrow of God’s gracious rule. Genesis 3:1-4; John 8:44
Humankind
We believe that all human life through creation has value. Humankind was created in the image of God, but Adam’s original sin resulted in spiritual death and human separation from God. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and all persons need God’s forgiveness. Genesis 1:27-31; Genesis 2:16-17; Genesis 3:1-6; Psalms 139:15; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:19; Romans 6:23
Our Salvation
We believe people are saved from penalty of sin by God’s grace through personal faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ, bringing them into a relationship of peace and fellowship with God. This redemption was accomplished through the death, burial, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12; 1 Peter 1:18-19
Our Future
We believe that those who receive Christ as Savior and Lord will rejoice eternally in God’s presence, and that those who reject Christ will be eternally separated from God. John 10:27-30; Ephesians 1:13-14; John 5:11-13
Christ’s Return
We believe in the imminent physical return of Jesus Christ to receive all believers, according to His promise. John 14:1-6; Acts 1:10-11; Thessalonians 4:16-17
The Church
We believe in the Church, a living and universal spiritual body with Christ as its head and all believers as its members. The local church is a visible example of a community of believers committed to worship, ministry, discipleship, fellowship, and evangelism. Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 12:13
Worship
We believe that all persons are created with a need to worship God. Worship is the personal and corporate expression through which the believer experiences and responds to the nature, personality, and will of God. We believe that the Christian should make a commitment to private and public worship on a regular basis. Psalm 95; John 4:21-24; Hebrews 10:25
Giftedness
We believe that all Christians have received God-given spiritual gifts for the purpose of building up a Body of Christ. The church is responsible to encourage the discovery of spiritual gifts, and to provide an environment where every member is given the opportunity to pursue ministry based on giftedness. Ephesians 4; Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12
Evangelism
We believe that all Christians have been commissioned by God to actively proclaim the good news of Christ’s love and sacrifice. Every believer is responsible for maintaining a lifestyle that invites others to personal faith in Jesus Christ. Mathew 28:18-30; John 17:20-23
Baptism
We believe that baptism is a public symbol of the believer’s death to the old life and resurrection to new life in Christ, and that bodily immersion, as the New Testament example, is required for membership in this local fellowship. Mark 1:5-10; Acts 8:36-39
The Lord’s Supper
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a symbolic commemoration of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, His broken body and shed blood, and that this celebration is open to all believers. 1 Corinthians 11:16-29; Matthew 26:26-30
Giving
We believe that Christians are to cheerfully and responsibly provide financial support for the ongoing ministry of Christ’s Church. Further, we believe that members should maintain a regular and proportionate giving plan, understanding the need to support both the local and the world wide needs of the Church. 2 Corinthians 9:6-9