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Our Affiliation:
First Baptist Church Of Monroe is a part of the Southern Baptist Association of churches in America. We are a body of worshippers and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ to be used by Him for the glory of His Kingdom.
Staff:
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PASTOR ROBERT WHITEHEAD came to First Baptist Church in September of 2002. He has been married to his wife Shari since 1976. They have two grown children, Faith and Jason, and several grandchildren.
Robert served as the Minister of Education at Inglewood Baptist Church in Grand Prairie, Texas for over 12 years before coming to Monroe. He graduated from Southwestern Theological Seminary in 1989 with a Masters in Religious Education. He currently serves as Associate Pastor and Minister of Education for our church. |
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MUSIC DIRECTOR MOLLIE ZIEGLER came to First Baptist Church, and also came to faith in Christ, in 2002. She has been married to her husband Eric since 1998. They have two children: Zoe (1999) and Max (2003).
Mollie graduated from the University of Washington with a Masters Degree in Music Education. She was added to our staff as a part-time worship leader and choir director in September 2005. |
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SECRETARY KELLY MCLEAN came to First Baptist Church, and also came to faith in Christ, in 2001. She has been married to her husband Richard since 1993. They have two children: Tyler (1997) and Carson (2001).
She was added to our staff in February of 2006. |
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BOOK KEEPER TAMI KAMP came to First Baptist Church in 1999. Tami came to faith in Christ, in 1988. She has been married to her husband Jim since 1995. They have three children: Josh (1990), James (1996) and Bailee (1999).
Tami was added to our staff in February of 2006. |
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What We Believe:
One of the ways to help achieve these purposes is through the reading of God’s Word. We encourage everyone to participate in a two-year, through-the-Bible reading plan along with personal Bible study. Pastor Jim Shiner writes a weekly commentary that follows along with the reading. Copies are available at the church or on our website.
We believe that the Bible is the absolute Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts. We believe it was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and has supreme authority in all matters of faith, doctrine and conduct.
As a Church, we have accepted the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message Statement as our official doctrinal statement. A copy of this statement is available upon request, or you may view it online at: http://www.sbc.net/bfm
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Why We Exist:
We believe that the Scriptures teach five main purposes for the church. These purposes are built upon the foundation of prayer, for Jesus said, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
EVANGELISM: To be a dynamic spiritual organism empowered by the Holy Spirit to share the gospel of Christ with as many people as possible in our church, in our community, and throughout the world (Luke 24:46-47).
WORSHIP: To be a worshipping group of people, experiencing an awareness of God, recognizing His person, and responding in obedience to His leadership (Hebrews 10:24-25).
FELLOWSHIP: To experience an increasingly meaningful and deeper relationship with God and fellow believers (John 13:34-35).
DISCIPLESHIP: To help people experience a growing knowledge of God and man through daily study of the Scriptures (Matthew 28:18-20).
MINISTRY: To be a church that ministers unselfishly to people in the community and the world in Jesus’ name (1 John 3:17).
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Salvation:
The Bible teaches that we can know for certain that we have eternal life (1 John 5:13).
OUR PROBLEM: God created us all in His image (Genesis 1:26), but through Adam and Eve, all of mankind has a terminal condition called sin (Romans 3:23). Sin separates us from God and requires His judgment upon us (Isaiah 59:2). No one can earn eternal life by their own efforts (Romans 3:20). The penalty for sin is eternal separation from God in hell (Romans 6:23, Matthew 25:41).
GOD’S SOLUTION: The good news of the Bible is that God loves us (John 3:16) and has provided a way that we might receive eternal life as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). He sent His only Son, Jesus, to earth, over 2000 years ago, to die on a cross as a payment for our sins (1 Peter 3:18). In Jesus the very fullness of God dwelt in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). He offered His own life as a pure and righteous sacrifice to atone for our sins (Isaiah 53:4-6). He was crucified and arose from the dead three days later to prove He was the Son of God (Romans 1:4). He lives today to give eternal life as a free gift to all who would receive Him as Lord and Savior (John 10:28).
OUR RESPONSE: How do we respond to this message? The Bible says we must first repent of our sin (Acts 2:38). Repent means to “change your mind” or “turn around”. This is coming face to face with the futility of your sinful condition apart from God’s grace. Secondly, we place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in His death as full payment for our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). Finally, we receive Christ into our lives as Lord and Savior (John 1:12). Through this act of faith, God comes to dwell inside of us through the Person of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13) and we are born again (John 3:3). God declares us to be righteous as a free gift based upon the completed work of Jesus Christ and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in us (Romans 8:1-11).
The Bible says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Why not turn from your sin and call upon the Lord right now to give you this gift of eternal life?
Please contact Pastor Jim or Pastor Robert if you have any more questions about salvation.
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Baptism:
The Bible teaches that every Christian is to be baptized (Acts 2:38). We are to be baptized to identify ourselves with the Lord (Matthew 10:32) and to follow the example of Jesus who was also baptized (Mark 1:9). Biblical baptism involves three important elements:
FOLLOWING CONVERSION: Every example of baptism in the Bible happened after a person received Christ as their Lord and Savior (Acts 2:41, 8:35-38, 16:14-15). In fact, baptism is the first step of a new Christian’s life (Acts 10:43-48).
BY IMMERSION: The Greek word for “baptize” means to submerge or dip under water. The Bible is clear that baptism symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and our old way of life (Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12), which can only be done visually by the process of immersion.
AS A SYMBOL OF SALVATION: Baptism does not get you into heaven (see “Salvation”). It is a one-time act of obedience and faith that symbolizes the salvation that is already ours through Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is comparable to a wedding ring that symbolizes the marriage.
Although it is only a symbol, it is clearly an important one as the church is commanded to “go into all the world and make disciples of the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:18-20).
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Please contact Pastor Jim or Pastor Robert if you have any more questions about baptism. |
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Church Membership:
The difference between “members” and “attenders” can be summed up in one word: commitment. It’s like the difference between couples who just live together and those who get married. While becoming a Christian means to commit yourself to Christ, becoming a church member means to commit yourself to other Christians. It is a commitment to a specific group of believers, to practice the “one-anothers” of the New Testament.
MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS: To become a member of First Baptist Church, there are three requirements. First, a person must have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior (see “Salvation”). Secondly, a person must have followed the Lord in Biblical Baptism (see “Baptism”). Finally, the person must believe that God is leading them to unite with this church family. The Scripture says that, “God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired” (1 Corinthians 12:18).
TO BECOME A MEMBER: To become a member of First Baptist Church, we require that you meet with one of our pastors to discuss membership. We then encourage new members to attend one “New Members Fellowship” meeting at Pastor Jim’s house. These meetings are usually held quarterly during the year.
MEMBERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES: It is the Biblical requirement of each member to try to:
1) Protect the Unity of the Church by acting in love toward other members, refusing to gossip, and following the leaders (Romans 15:5, 1 Peter 1:22, Ephesians 4:29, Hebrews 13:17).
2) Share the Responsibility of the Church by praying for the church, inviting the un-churched to attend, and warmly welcoming those who visit (1 Thessalonians 1:2, Luke 14:23, Romans 15:7).
3) Support the Testimony of the Church by attending faithfully, living a godly life, and giving regularly (Hebrews 10:25, Philippians 1:27, 2 Corinthians 9:6-7).
Membership is a prerequisite of all Sunday School Teachers, Awana Leaders, Committee Members, and others in leadership positions within the body.
Finally, all members are encouraged to attend regular business meetings, held every other month, to seek God’s will on major decisions within our body.
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