Our story…

Under the guidance of God’s leadership, fifteen charter members and Dr. J. C. DuBose established First Baptist Church in 1915 on the corner of Sixteenth Avenue and Twenty-third Street in downtown Vero Beach.  Over the years, as the local population grew, the congregation became known as the “Church that Always Builds,” and increased attendance, resources, and gifts.  In 1962, the church commissioned the current Georgian-Colonial style sanctuary currently hosting the church’s two worship services. The people of First Baptist Church strive to join God at work in the downtown district and beyond, hosting a variety of ministries–from sports opportunities every week for at-risk youth to housing one of the largest food banks in Vero Beach.  It also partners with several ministries and missions at home and abroad, including the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the Treasure Coast Baptist Association, and the Southern Baptist Convention.  The church also supports missions efforts throughout the county, state and around the world. First Baptist Church remains committed to being the presence of Christ in the community, providing a resource and network of Christian ministry, and growing disciples that value the Great Commission (Matthew 28) and God’s imperative that we are to love our neighbors.
 
Our Mission
Our mission is to worship God and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ through word and action with our local community and around the world.
 
Our Vision
Our vision is to grow an intergenerational, global mission by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.
 
Our Values
Compassionate – We are compassionate in sharing God’s love and the Good News of Jesus Christ.
 

Christ-Centered – We are Christ-centered in ministry and discipleship, with a focus on growing in God’s Word.

Creative – We are creative in worship, communicating the whole story of God’s Plan of Salvation.
Cooperative – We are cooperative in Great Commission work through local and global partnerships.

Our Beliefs

First Baptist Church is proud to affirm the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message.

We adhere to four Baptist “Fragile Freedoms” that serve as guiding principles for our church.  In this tradition, we approach our context of ministry with confidence that the Holy Spirit empowers us to join God at work in our community and to share the Gospel of the Good News of Jesus Christ. 
 

We believe in these four fragile freedoms…

Bible Freedom

Baptists believe that the Bible is the record of God’s revelation to all humankind.  Believers are free to read and interpret the Bible under the lordship of Christ and the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Baptists are not beholden to any creeds or mediators outside of scripture.

Soul Freedom

Baptists practice “Believer’s Baptism”, which affirms that people may only come to Christ on their own volition, not by force or coercion.  Historically and Biblically, Believer’s Baptism is by immersion (unless otherwise restricted by special needs, disability, or other extenuating circumstances).

Church Freedom

Each Baptist church is an autonomous Body of Believers with its own polity, rules for membership, and leadership.  This comes from the congregational model of authority, in which the congregation (often guided by a church covenant or constitution) determines the values, identity, mission, and ministry of the local church.  Additionally, each church establishes the scope and nature of its partnerships in the local and global communities and is not under the auspices of any outside authority or influence.

Religious Freedom

Baptists believe that people have an inalienable right to the freedom of religion.  The earliest Baptists championed the separation of church and state in the American colonies and, later, the United States.  In the words of Walter Shurden, Baptists affirm that “religious liberty is for all, not for a selected few nor even for an overwhelming majority.”

 
Source: Walter Shurden, The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms Macon (GA): Smyth & Helwys, 1993.
 
The Baptist Faith and Message, our mission and our values, do not exhaust the extent of our beliefs.  The Bible itself, as the Word of God, speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of all God’s creation, and is the sole and final source of all that we believe.