First Baptist Church

Founded in 1852, First Baptist Church of Monroe is a group of free and faithful Baptist pilgrims on journey together.  At First Baptist we offer varied ministries and programs in an effort to reach, teach and minister to the whole person. We associate ourselves with the Union Baptist Association in a joint endeavor to do missions and ministry locally. We also affiliate with the state and national Cooperative Baptist Fellowship for the same purposes - doing together what we could not do apart.

We are autonomous. This means that no individual, person, hierarchy or ecclesiastical board dictates what we should believe or practice, who our leadership should be, how we budget our money or whom we support.  We are democratic in governance. We are governed by our members and the majority of the work done in the church is by our members.

As a Baptist church, we possess certain distinctives, which include:

The Priesthood of All Believers. Baptists find identity in Soul Freedom, the freedom and responsibility of every person to relate directly to God without imposition of creed or control by clergy or government. This also carries with it the mandate to minister to others, to be "priests to each other."

The Authority of the Bible. Baptists find identity in Bible Freedom -- the authority of Scripture. We believe the Bible, under the Lordship of Christ, is central in the life of the individual and the church. We affirm the freedom and right of every Christian to interpret and apply scripture under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Religious Liberty. Baptists find identity in Religious Freedom. We believe in freedom of religion, freedom for religion, and freedom from religion. We support the separation of church and state.

The Autonomy of the Local Church. Baptists find identity in Church Freedom. We believe in the autonomy of every local church. We believe Baptist churches are free, under the Lordship of Christ, to determine their membership and leadership, to order their worship and their work, to ordain whomever they perceive as gifted and called for ministry, and to participate as they deem appropriate in the larger Body of Christ.

Believers Baptism. Baptists find identity in Believers Baptism. We believe that the decision for baptism rests with the individual. It cannot be made for him or her. To Baptists the event of baptism is very important. It comes when one is old enough to understand that baptism -- immersion in water -- symbolizes the forgiveness of sins and new life in Christ. It is the mark of Christ, an outward expression of the inward change of heart. Still, we understand and respect the baptism of all Christian traditions and practice an "open membership" policy which acknowledges and accepts any form of Christian Baptism.

We are guided by a ministerial staff of three gifted servant-leaders:

John H. Hewett, Senior Minister                               

Paul M. Sims, Minister

Sara Spahr Stubbs, Minister