About First Baptist Church
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We Have...
A Heart for Prayer and Worship
Our desire is to bow our hearts and bend our knees to God in prayer and worship. We understand this as an act of submission to the One we call Father and as an expression of confidence that He hears and responds to our pleas. We take seriously our need to engage God actively in public and personal worship, petition, intercession, and edification. We seek to pursue relevant, authentic, and heart-moving worship that centers on God and not us.
A Heart for Authentic Christian Community
We believe we are formed and shaped for God's family. Our God-given desire is to have authentic Christian friendships, and we believe that life-changes happen in the intimate connections we have with each other. We intend to take seriously our responsibility to be in community, nurturing, strengthening, and mentoring each other. We recognize that many of these experiences happen in the vast variety of small groups within the life of the church.
A Heart for Every Person
We seek to follow the example of Jesus in recognizing that every person is deeply loved and valued by God. We take seriously our responsibility to minister, serve, and share Christ with every person we encounter. We recognize our Savior's love and blessing on children and their families, and we seek to share that blessing. We recognize a unique opportunity for our church is the proximity of Rolla High School and the area universities, offering us the privilege of expressing God's love and care for high school youth, university students, and internationals.
A Heart for our Local Community
We put our faith into action in our local community through Christian service, building authentic and healthy friendships. We recognize that the church must leave the building and be the church in our community, demonstrating the love of God in actions and words. Though our longing is for others to know Christ, we extend love and care regardless of the response.
A Heart for Sharing Jesus
We seek to live our the call of Hebrews 12:15, "See that no one misses the grace of God." We long to be God's instruments in sharing the grace of God found in Jesus. Our desire to see others come to faith in Christ calls us to be involved in both evangelism and missions.
A Heart for Making Disciples
Our desire is to grow as Christian disciples, conformed to Christ's image in a way where Christian virtue and the Spirit's fruit are evident. We recognize discipleship develops much needed leaders as we grow in maturity.
A Heart for Intergenerational ConnectionsWe desire to take advantage of the intergenerational character of our congregation by marrying the wisdom of the aged with the energy of the young to create passion for service and growth. We seek to be intentional about providing opportunities for all age groups to serve and learn together. This value especially challenges us to involve older members in activities focused on children, youth, and their families.
