Who We Are
First Baptist Memphis is a Midtown congregation that seeks to follow Christ
by practicing hospitality, community, dialogue, and service.
A Different Way to Be Baptist
We are proud to be Baptist. It is a designation with a rich heritage of religious freedom. It was founded by those who knew that matters of faith were ultimately matters of personal conviction, that no one – family, minister, denomination, or government – could determine another’s faith. In recent times, however, many have come to associate “Baptist” with a variety of negative terms, positions, and practices, that do not reflect who we are at First Baptist Church.
When we say we are “A Different Way to be Baptist,” we are seeking to emphasize the following:
We strive to be grace oriented, not judgment focused. All are welcome… no exceptions.
We welcome diversity of thought and opinion; dialogue and debate. We believe in the priesthood of every believer.
We strive to cooperate with people of all faith traditions who seek to make our community and world a better place.
We value diversity at every level, including politics. We trust our members to come to their own political convictions. We cherish religious liberty and the separation of church and state.
We believe in heaven, but until then, we are to be fully engaged in making a real difference in this very real world.
Because of these convictions, our main affiliation is with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. We encourage you to check out their website.
NOH8 Campaign
First Memphis was proud to host the NOH8 Campaign in July. Here are some of the pictures from the day. To learn more about NOH8 Campaign, follow this link NOH8.
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Issues Statement on Racial Justice
Click here to read CBF’s statement
As Christ’s church, First Baptist Memphis is called to minister equally to all persons, extending to them the privileges afforded to any follower of Christ, including, but not limited to, baptism, membership, leadership, ordination, and marriage and will not discriminate based on race, gender, age, marital status, or sexual orientation.
—Resolution passed Jan. 10, 2016
Location
We are a Mid-town congregation for all of Memphis. We choose to be in Midtown. Midtown is a locus of energy and creativity that values the practices that define us. While we are based in Midtown, we seek to minister to all of Memphis with those that come from all parts of Memphis.
Hospitality
All are welcome, no exceptions. Because God does not turn any away, we welcome one and all. We value diversity in our membership and believe it enriches our journey and ministry.
Community
We not only welcome, we embrace. We strive to be a family of faith where all can belong. We live our lives in community. We care for one another. We laugh together, cry together, pray together, serve together.
Dialogue
We value the voice of every child of God and strive to hear the voice of God in one another. We talk to each other. We listen to each other. We dare to disagree. We learn from one another. We value conversation with other Christians and people of different faith traditions.
Service
What we do inside our walls prepares us to share God’s love across the street and around the world. We partner with local and international groups to meet human needs and bring about God’s will on earth as it is in heaven.