The church is not a place but a people who hold a shared faith in Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior, who covenant together under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and under the leadership of godly pastors/elders, to regularly gather together to glorify God in worship, evangelize the lost, and build up the saints beginning in their immediate area.
Every individual who wishes to become a member of FIRST is expected to participate in the Intro to FIRST class, taught by one of our pastors, providing them with a foundational understanding of who we are as a church, what our mission is, what it means to be a member, and how one becomes a member of FIRST.
Baptism is in outward expression of an inward decision to follow Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior, publicly identifying a person as a follower of Jesus Christ. Baptism symbolizes ones “death” to their old, sinful way of life and their being “raised” to new life in Christ. This is what is pictured in immersion baptism when a person is lowered under the water and raised back up out of it.
At FIRST, we practice “believers baptism”, meaning we only baptize (by immersion) those who provide credible testimony that they have repented of their sin and trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior. Baptism is a prerequisite for membership at FIRST, though a person does not need to have been baptized at FIRST to become a member.
We believe a disciple is someone who's following Jesus, being changed by Jesus, and is on mission with Jesus to reach the lost and build up the saints. To that end, we encourage each member to embrace Christ-Centered lives that express themselves in relationship with others to REACH, GATHER, GROW, and SERVE.
