FBC is all about the Gospel! The Gospel is the life-altering truth that Jesus died, was buried, rose again on the third day, and ascended into heaven to guarantee the salvation of those who believe on his name.
At FBC we seek to understand and grow in appreciation of the incredible sacrifice Jesus made for our sins; that's the Gospel for me. We seek to transfer this understanding of Jesus into personal growth and becoming more like Jesus; that's the Gospel in me. Finally, we hope that this flows out of our lives through speaking the Gospel to believers inside the church and sharing the Gospel with unbelievers outside the church; that's the Gospel through me!
What do we believe?
Inspiration
The Bible was given by the very breath of God and is completely without error. It is useful for every area of our lives and is a believer's authority for faith and practice.
Trinity
God is one unified Essence existing in the three distinct Persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These are equal in their divine nature yet distinct in their function, and together form one united Being.
Christ
Jesus is completely one-hundred percent God. He added to Himself a completely human body, was born by natural birth though conceived supernaturally, lived a perfectly sinless life, died on the cross as our substitute, and rose from the dead three days later. Having conquered death himself, Jesus guaranteed eternal life for all who would believe in Him.
Resurrection
Christ was physically resurrected three days after His death. This resurrection was witnessed by the disciples, and over five-hundred others witnessed the resurrected Christ. The resurrection of Christ was necessary to secure victory over death for believers in Christ.
Salvation
Salvation is by grace through faith in the completed work of Christ on the cross. Salvation is not based on a specific prayer or magic formula that one can recite, but based on receiving the Lord Jesus Christ through belief and trust in the sacrifice He made on the behalf of sinners.
Church
The local church is God's chief way of working in the lives of believers during this age. The local church is a necessary element in the life of believers for fellowship, community, and growth.
Click here for our full doctrinal statement and church covenant!
Core Values
At First Baptist, our core values are what make us who we are. Our core values are taken directly from the Word of God! In Acts 2:41-47 we learn what the early church valued. First Baptist takes our core values from this passage, and these are the principles which we strive for and believe make up a New Testament church!
What Makes Us Baptist
Many thoughts exist on Baptists and who they are. Many have tried to outline what makes Baptists different from other churches, and have even produced a list of "distinctives" which they claim set Baptists apart from other churches. Oftentimes, however, lists of distinctives aren't all that distinctive. So what does it mean that FBC is a Baptist congregation? We boil it down to these 6 beliefs:
1) Complete authority of the Scriptures
2) Believer's baptism by immersion
3) Pure church membership
4) Individual Christian responsibility
5) Congregational church government
6) Separation of church and state