Vision

Our vision is to be a community of believers demonstrating Christ's love to all. 

Mission

The mission of FBC-Albemarle is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ by creating an environment where people are encouraged and equipped to develop intimacy with God, to build a Spirit-filled community within, and to reach out to others in partnership with Christ and the greater Christian community.

Core Values and Beliefs

We value God’s Holy Word

  • Our church view Scripture as God’s inspired Holy Word. We also believe that the Bible helps us discover God’s will for our lives through a relationship with Jesus Christ. God provided us with the Bible as we could better worship and serve him. As Christians firstly and Baptist secondly, we also affirm that all Scripture should be interpreted through the life and teachings of Jesus Christ with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

    We value our Baptist Heritage

  • Our church seeks always to affirm the principles, which have defined Baptist historically, including priesthood of the believer, soul competency, autonomy of the local church, separation of church and state. (Baptist historian Walter Shurden describes these as the Four Fragile Freedoms: Soul freedom, Bible freedom, church freedom, and religious freedom.) While we embrace the Baptist Faith and Message of 1963 as a clear and concise written document of what Baptists believe, we do not elevate it, or any other document, to the status of binding doctrine for the church.

  • First Baptist celebrates the diversity of Baptists by giving members the freedom to choose which denominational organization a percentage of their tithes and offerings will support. We currently have members who choose to support either the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship or the Southern Baptist Convention. Corporately, First Baptist supports both organizations with our congregational gifts. 

    We value Christian Community

  • We are committed to sharing Jesus’ love with others and will lead our church family to be actively involved in missions, locally and globally. First Baptist respects all persons, and though our theology and practice is based on God’s Holy Word and historic Baptist principles, we affirm that other Christians hold dear the essential truths of the Gospel. First Baptist respects all persons of faith, and though our theology and practice is based on historic Baptist principles, we affirm that other Christian faiths hold dear the essential truths of the gospel, and therefore, we strive to cooperate with all the churches of Albemarle regardless of denomination, and we specifically work closely with the downtown churches in planning and coordinating ecumenical events.

    We value God’s Call to Service

  • Our church affirms the reality that God’s call is unique and personal to both men and women and it is not limited by gender. All members are encouraged to answer the call of service for God’s kingdom. (Note: both men and woman serve as deacons and on the pastoral staff.)

    We value Christian Fellowship

  • First Baptist values the power of Christian fellowship to strengthen families, foster relationships, and enable people to find their purpose with God, and provide encouragement and support for one another. Through our relationship with Jesus Christ, we demonstrate God's love, grace, and forgiveness with others.

    We value Biblical Education

  • Our church promotes active teaching and learning of the Bible through Sunday school, worship services, and other Bible study activities.

    FBC-Albemarle Vision Statement, Mission Statement, and Core Values as adopted September 6, 2006, and reaffirmed 2008, revised 2013. Items in () are for clarification and not a part of the 2013 document.

Other Notes

  • Our church recognizes that some marriages fail, and we affirm the reality that God's grace covers the failures of all believers. Past missteps do not hinder opportunities for present and future service at First Baptist Church. 

Bylaws

Here is a link to our Bylaws.