Our Mission
The First Baptist Church of St. Petersburg exists to help people experience God’s gift of life in Jesus. We invite people into a dynamic Christian gathering to . . .
LIFE IN JESUS — Jesus said, I came that people may have life, and have it abundantly.John 10:10 God’s desire for all human beings is vitality — vigorous, significant, ever-growing, ever-lasting LIFE. Our experience of life to the full is a gift of God, made possible by the coming of Jesus. We have all sinned against God and against each other. On our own, therefore, we are not capable of realizing God’s vision for our lives. But God sent his son to take on human form and realize God’s vision for us, opening the door to a relationship with God in which we experience the ability to love God and others.
INVITE PEOPLE — The New Testament consistently teaches that God’s mission for his people in the world is to invite people into divinely-empowered gatherings of Jesus-followers. Whatever your background, wherever you are in your spiritual journey, whatever your financial status, gender, race, or vocation, we invite you to come and see that ‘life to the full’ is not only a journey but also a destination. The church is the place from which and the people with whom we are to travel.
DYNAMIC CHRISTIAN GATHERING — God’s mission for his people to invite people has a specific focus: dynamic Christian gatherings. The word ‘dynamic’ comes from the Greek dunamis, meaning power, as in the power of God’s Spirit. ‘Christians’ are simply Jesus-followers, and ‘gathering’ refers to a group that is constantly changing, moving, and growing. It is in and through these gatherings that God meets us, enables us to connect with one another, and empowers us for acts of service to the world which point people to him.
We MEET God — as Father, Son, and Spirit — through corporate worship. The First Great Commandment, said Jesus, is to Love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength (Mark 12:30).
In an effort to meet with God, we offer two distinct Sunday morning worship services: a traditional worship service at 9:00 am, and an informal worship experience at 10:45 am. These gatherings fulfill three important purposes:
Spirituality — In corporate worship, we pray and confess our sins to God, we praise and offer ourselves to God, and we witness baptism and receive the Lord’s Supper (Communion / Eucharist). We sing, clap, laugh, cry, act, play instruments, greet each other, take notes, etc. . . . In short, through congregational participation, worship leadership from the band, orchestra, choirs, vocal ensembles, and drama, video, dance, etc. . ., we attempt to use all the creative gifts and talents we have at our disposal to celebrate the presence and grace of God.
Relationship — Corporate worship is like our family reunion. We make time and space in our schedules and lives to be together, and we affirm our unity with people of different races, backgrounds, styles, cultures, and ages. Corporate worship is also like a party to which we can invite our friends — letting them know there´s room for them at the family table.
Mission — Corporate worship prepares us for mission. We are encouraged, instructed, oriented and reoriented, equipped, prepared, coordinated, and sent out to serve God and love our neighbors. We are reminded that we have a sacred purpose in and beyond the routines and demands of our daily lives — that we are blessed by God to be a blessing to our world.
We CONNECT with one another in Community Groups. The Second Great Commandment is to Love your neighbor as you love yourself (Mark 12:31). The first way in which we respond to that commandment is to connect with one another. Jesus said, Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another (John 13:34).
God created each of us with the need for connection, both with God and one another. We consider participation in a Community Group to be one of the best and most important ways to experience ‘God’s gift of life in Jesus.’ The purpose of every group is P.O.R.T. - For when a group gathers, we PRAY together, we OPEN the Scriptures together, we meet REGULARLY, and we TOUCH one another’s lives as a result (Acts 2:42-47).
Some community groups meet on Sunday mornings and some meet during the week. But all groups welcome newcomers and no prior Bible knowledge is necessary. It’s in these groups that people experience the joy and the depth of authentic, Christian friendship. From meals to ball games to movies, Community Groups ‘do life’ together.
You may choose to join a group for several different reasons: either a friend invited you, the location works for you, or even because of special interest or station in life (young-marrieds, empty-nesters). It may take two or three groups before you find the perfect fit. But don’t worry, you’ll find it! God doesn’t want any of us to be left to walk alone. Get connected!
We embrace opportunities to IMPACT our world for the good by inviting others to church, serving in the church, and helping those in need. The second way in which we obey the second great commandment is to Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20). It is through friendship, compassionate action, and invitation and announcement to ‘come and see’ that God changes people. Changed people in Tampa Bay, and then beyond, makes for a changed world.
We invite people into a divinely-energized, Jesus-focused gathering where they meet God, connect with one another, and embrace opportunities to impact our world for the good. THAT is how we accomplish our mission of helping people experience God’s gift of life.
