Our Beliefs

Our church has one purpose - to glorify God in all that we do (John 17:4). We believe that God has provided five ways, or functions, for His church to accomplish this purpose. These five functions (discipleship, evangelism, fellowship, ministry, worship) are incorporated into our church's logo as a reminder of what we are about. We strive to run everything that we do through this filter.
 
Who we are: Our church is compromised of men, women, teenagers and children who are growing in their personal relationship with God and finding their place of service for Him. Church membership is open to all born-again, baptized believers in Christ. However, anyone is welcome to participate in our church and its various ministries. 

While our church has a full-time pastoral staff, we believe that God has called each and every Christian to a life of ministry. The staff is not the 'hired help' but are called as equippers to help each church member discover the ministry that God has called them to. Being a member of FBC Chiefland then, means that you have recognized that Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life, that you have been called to serve Him and that you have been placed at this church to be an active part of ministry.

As each church member seeks their place of ministry in and through FBC Chiefland, the church seeks to help them find this ministry and then excel in it. This is accomplished through an extensive discipleship program that focuses on each member's personal growth and their development as a minister for Jesus Christ.

 
What we believe: As a Southern Baptist church, we are completely free to hold and teach the doctrines that we believe are right. We determine this based solely on the Bible. We believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God. As such, it is our ultimate standard of belief and conduct.

Perhaps the most important doctrine that the Bible addresses is salvation. We believe that salation is a gift of God based on His good grace. According to Romans 3:23, all have sinned (disobeyed God in action and in attitude) and because of this sin, a separation was formed between mankind and holy God.

According to Ephesians 2:8-9, there is nothing a person can do to overcome this separtion. No one can be good enough or complete enough work to earn a restored relationship with God.

But while man cannot do anything to fix our condition, God can - and did. We believe that the Bible teaches that God offers a restored relationship with Him based on His good grace along. This is possible because of the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross (Romans 5:23). Jesus has paid the penalty of our sin for us. It is up to us to believe in Him and accept God's forgiveness for our sins.

While Southern Baptist churches will vary some in their beliefs, most hold very similar doctrines. These basic beliefs can be found in The Baptist Faith and Message.

Discipleship: A 'disciple' can be thought of as a learner. Our emphasis on discipleship is designed to see each and every church member grow in his or her relationship with Jesus Christ. In doing so, we believe that each member will experience true joy and meaning in their life and be usable instruments for Jesus Christ.  (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Evangelism: The word 'evangelism' comes from a term meaning "good news". We believe that evangelism is just that - telling another person the 'good news' of how Jesus Christ died for them to pay a debt they could never pay. Our desire for evangelism is not only to see people accept God's gift of grace and experience a relationship with Him, but to also see these people become committed disciples of Christ. (Acts 1:8)

Fellowship: Many people think of fellowship as having fun (or eating!). But true fellowship occurs when people put aside their differences and unite as one. We believe that true fellowship only occurs when Christ is the One who unites. He provides us with a perfect bond of love, purpose and direction that cannot be found anywhere else. (Hebrews 10:19-25)

Ministry: The heart of ministry is serving God by serving others. This can occur inside or outside of the church. We believe that every Christian has been called by God into some sort of ministry. Our desire as a church is to help everyone find what that is and to succeed in it once it has been discovered. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)

Worship: The word worship comes from an Old English word 'worthship'. The key of worship is found in that old word - worth. When we worship God, we are declaring His infinite worth. We worship God not just for what He has done for us, but also for who He is. (1 Chronicles 16:25)