Our Vision

Glorifying God by coming to Jesus, growing in Jesus, and sharing Jesus. It's all about Jesus!

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Our beliefs

We believe that Jesus Christ is Lord; being eternally God, the only begotten Son and the visible expression of the invisible God, effectively procured salvation for all creation through his death, burial and resurrection. He is the one assigned by God the Father to rule with authority over all of creation. Every area of the believer’s life and the life of the church is to be subject to the Lord.

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We believe that God communicates his will through the inspired Word of God. For Baptists, the Bible is the final authority in matters of faith and practice. It is to be interpreted responsibly under the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit within the community of faith.

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We believe that the Bible affirms the value of each person as having been created in the image of God, and also declares each person morally responsible for his/her own nature and behaviour. Baptists believe that inherent in the worth of each person is also the right and competency of each individual personally to deal directly with God through Jesus Christ.

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We believe that Jesus Christ chooses to form his church by bringing together believers for the purpose of worship, witness, fellowship and ministry (both spiritual and social). Baptists recognize the church universal as all who truly profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. They also profess their understanding of the church as being visibly expressed in local congregations. Each local church must thus be made up of believers who, upon their profession of faith and their baptism (almost always by immersion), are incorporated into the local church through the activity of the Holy Spirit. Baptists believe that Believers’ Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the two ordinances required by the New Testament and are to be administered by the local church.

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We believe that we have a story to tell that is mandated by our Lord in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20. Our calling is to share God’s message of love and salvation with each person.  Each Christian has a duty to share their faith with others.  We continue to be very active in mission efforts, both in local and global contexts.

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Our Mission

Our mission is to glorify God; and as the Holy Scriptures declare, to do the work of God, individually and corporately, as a family, in love, in prayer, by the power of the Holy Spirit, calling sinners into God's family and a living personal relationship with His Son Jesus Christ by believing in Him and in His work at the Cross and the Resurrection. Then by prayer, fellowship, encouragement and Biblical instruction, empowering and freeing God's family for works of service according to the Spirit's gifting and leading, to the building up of our church family and the good of our community.

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Our core values

Faith.  It is integral to who we are, and everything we do.

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Community.  We value our community we have in Christ in our church family, our neighbours, our affiliations, and our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. We were created in community to be in community as Acts 2:42-44 teaches us.

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Prayer.  We are convinced that effectiveness in ministry is dependent upon prayer. Therefore, the dreaming, planning and execution of ministry will be lifted up in prayer.

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Mission.  Our unifying purpose is to glorify God through reaching individuals for Christ through our witness to Christ’s presence, love and saving power. Our global mission is not to go into other places to do for others, but to serve others, and in that service show the love of Christ.

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Mentoring.  We see the importance of utilizing our community to walk along side one another, be accountable to one another, and serve one another as we are all on a journey to live like Christ and be more like Him every day.

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Discipleship.  We place special importance on each individual learning to be a disciple, a lifelong process which involves studying scripture, reflecting on and practicing faith, engaging in personal and corporate mission and discerning and using spiritual gifts.

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Our History

First Baptist Church was established on February 12, 1856 in the city of Welland, then Merriton, with Reverand S. Pritchard. There have been three church buildings that have housed the local body of First Baptist Church, the most recent being the current location on the corner of Fitch Street and Prince Charles Avenue built 100 years after the initial building. 300 people now make up the congregation here on Sydney Place; minutes from a meeting with the Niagara Hamilton Association indicated that this strategic move was in fact to reach the heart of Welland by putting down roots along the city's largest street, Highway 58. Twenty-six pastors have led this congregation before Pastor Rene Brochu stepped in in the year 2000, after Rev. Glen Barrett.

Today FBC is one of the oldest churches in Welland and finds itself nestled into the heart of the city with ministries reaching people of all backgrounds and circumstances. We are a part of the CBOQ (Canadian Baptists of Ontario & Quebec) denomination and network. We offer services in English and Spanish since Pastor Sergio Espinoza began a mission to establish a Latino congregation in the year 2003. We are all one body in Christ Jesus and live & love to serve Him with everything He has blessed us with.

our servant leadership team: