Does FBC DeFuniak Springs have a statement of faith?
The Bible is our ultimate belief statement. First Baptist DeFuniak Springs affirms the Baptist Faith and Message. This is not a creed but is a generalized document which would be representative of what most Southern Baptists believe.
What does First Baptist believe about Scripture?
First Baptist DeFuniak Springs holds a high view of Scripture. We believe, preach and teach unapologetically that the Bible is God's inspired, inerrant and infallible Word. We believe the Bible is complete and without error.
What does First Baptist teach about giving?
We believe that the Bible teaches that all things come from God and He expects us to be good stewards of those resources. We also see a Scriptural pattern for the support of the local church by returning a minimum of 10% of everything that God has given to us.
How do I participate in giving to First Baptist?
If you are a member of First Baptist DeFuniak Springs then you will annually receive giving envelopes for each week of the month. You can bring your offering and give during Sunday School or during any of our worship services. In addition if you are not able to make a service and turn in your tithe and offering then please feel free to come by the church office during the week and drop it off there. If you are not a member but feel that God is leading you to give, then offering envelopes have been placed in the pews for you to use.
Is First Baptist affiliated with any denomination?
Yes. First Baptist is part of the Southern Baptist denomination.
What is a Southern Baptist Church?
In 1845 a group of Baptist churches met in Augusta, Georgia, and agreed to begin cooperating together to do missions work around the world. From there the denomination began and grew. Today there are over 16 million Southern Baptists and some 42,000 churches. The denomination exists so that churches can cooperate together to do missions work on a local, state, national and international level. The main way that Southern Baptists work cooperatively is by giving money to the Cooperative Program (CP). The Cooperative Program funds the following:
- The six Southern Baptist seminaries for theological training of church leaders
- The North American Mission Board (NAMB) for mission work in the United States and Canada
- The International Mission Board (IMB) for mission work around the world
- The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) which is the public policy arm of the SBC and is dedicated to addressing social, moral, and ethical concerns with particular attention on their impact on American families and their faith.
- The Annuity Board which allows workers in Southern Baptist entities and churches to invest in a retirement program
- The Southern Baptist Foundation which was established to provide a wide range of investment and estate planning services for Southern Baptist Convention agencies, institutions and individuals. Its objective is to support the Convention in its goal of spreading the gospel.
First Baptist also cooperates with churches on a local level to do work in Walton County through the Walton County Baptist Association and we cooperate with other Florida churches through the
Florida Baptist Convention to do work in our state.
Many people mistakenly call the denomination the Southern Baptist Convention, but this is actually the name of the annual meeting which is held each June. It is in this meeting that Southern Baptist churches send messengers to conduct the business of the denomination.
Is First Baptist an independent church or does the denomination tell them what to do?
No one, other than the Lord Jesus, tells a Southern Baptist church what to do. All Southern Baptist churches are independent but choose to work together or cooperate to train and send out workers to spread the Gospel around the world.
