OUR PURPOSE

The mission of First Baptist Church is to glorify God and we fulfill that mission most effectively by growing as disciples and making new disciples. We seek to do this through gospel-centered worship, gospel-centered community, gospel-centered service, and gospel-centered engagement.

Jesus has been keeping his promise to build his church for nearly two thousand years and nothing or no one can delay or deny him. He gave the church a clear commission: “make disciples.” Every local church is accountable to Jesus, the head of the church, for their faithfulness in carrying out that commission in their own generation.

To keep this simple, we frame our mission by striving for progress in three areas:

Gather Together

One of the ways we make disciples is through gospel-centered corporate worship. We gather on the first day of the week because its the day Jesus was raised from the dead. On this, the Lord’s Day, disciples gather to publicly worship the Lord and to learn his Word. So we gather as one body to sing praise, participate in expository preaching, read Scripture, pray, and celebrate the ordinances (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper). For a disciple, public worship on the Lord’s Day is a priority.

Grow Together

Gospel-centered fellowship cannot be formed through corporate worship alone. Discipleship is not a solo venture. To grow as a disciple who makes disciples it requires sharing your life with other disciples. Jesus immediately gathered a group of men and shared His life with them as soon as He began His public ministry. Jesus didn’t approach this life alone and neither can we! Through a Sunday School class or other community group we commit to know other disciples and be known by them. We will also offer other short-term and one-off growth opportunities (mission trips, parenting classes, marriage retreats, game nights, etc.) to foster gospel-centered fellowship among our church body. Active participation in a fellowship ensures that you are prayed for, supported, encouraged, held accountable, and equipped in your discipleship. Growing together deepens your journey as you experience real life together in Christ.

Go Together

Jesus said He “did not come to be served, but to serve.” Likewise, we should be seeking ways to serve both one another and the lost and dying world around us. We serve one another as we ‘go’ and as we ‘grow.’ In fact, serving together is one of the primary ways you’ll find that enhance gospel-centered fellowship in our church body! Because when service is truly gospel-centered we find that our love for Christ grows as we find new ways to serve one another. But that service doesn’t only happen within the church. Gospel-centered engagement leads us beyond the walls of the church building and the comfortable boundaries of our church family. The desire to make disciples of all nations leads us to engage our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and beyond. We all encounter non-believers every week. As disciples who go together into our communities we are compelled to engage those who are lost with the reality of the good news.