ABOUT
Our Story
Our mission is to know Christ and to make Him known.
It’s our desire to introduce individuals and families to Christ and then establish and equip them so that they might help others in the same way.
Our Six Habits
The process by which we accomplish our purpose involves the following six habits which should be reflected in the lives of all disciples:
H – healthy relationship with God and others
A – accountability with fellow believers
B – Bible study beginning with Sunday School
I – involvement/membership in the local church
T – time with God
S – sharing your faith
First Baptist Russellville Through the Years
1873
On September 10, 1873, a small group of people came together for the purpose of organizing a Baptist church in the River Valley.
FBC Russellville began with 15 members in a one room building on the corner of El Paso and 2nd Street.
1874
Miss Mary Allen gave the church some property located at the corner of El Paso and West 2nd Street (our current location).
1918
FBC Russellville enters a new era as a new building, consisting of a 400-seat auditorium and educational space, was completed.
1924
The Lord added 143 people to the church during a city-wide revival.
1959
By this time, church membership doubled and a new three-story educational building was completed.
1962
The Denver Street auditorium was built.
1980s
Church begins to employ Acts 1:8 missions & outreach strategy.
1990s
The church continued to expand at home (new fellowship hall, events center & a two-story educational facility), as hundreds of members were sent on mission trips around the world.
2017
FBC completes a major construction project that includes a new worship center, music suite, preschool addition and remodel denver street sanctuary (new student center).
2022
FBC celebrates being debt-free!
On mission with Jesus in Russellville & around the world
We have been instrumental in planting the following churches/ministries in and around Russellville and the world:
Second Baptist (1924)
Baker’s Creek Baptist (1944)
Baptist Student Union at Arkansas Tech University (1951)
Kelley Heights Baptist (1957)
Fair Park Baptist (1961)
FBC Pottsville (1962)
Mision Bautista Ebenezer
Today, ongoing church planting efforts with unreached people groups in Kenya.
Every Number is a Changed Life
Our mission remains the same: “To Know Him and Make Him Known.” And our future is bright as we move forward together, following Christ into a new era.
Pastors of First Baptist Russellville (1873—present)
- 1873-76 W. W. Crawford
- 1876-79 J. R. E. W. N. Adams
- 1879-81 G. W. Reeves
- 1881-84 J. P. Weaver
- 1884-85 B. R. Womack
- 1886-88 J. B. Wise
- 1889 J. B. Hort
- 1890-91 J. H. Coson
- 1891 D. Elledge
- 1891-94 W. T. Box
- 1894-96 W. V. Walls
- 1897-99 A. G. McMannaway
- 1900-02 R. E. Reed
- 1902 E. L. Craig
- 1902-03 W. P. Kime
- 1904-1906 J. O. Hill
- 1906-08 W. C. Wood
- 1908-10 B. R. Womack
- 1910-11 R. F. Kerby
- 1912 G. S. Clevenger
- 1913-14 J. E. Brown
- 1915-18 A. F. Cagle
- 1918-20 W. M. Groom
- 1920-21 R. M. Jennings
- 1923-34 C. V. Hickerson
- 1934-37 Troy Wheeler
- 1937-47 Fritz E. Goodbar
- 1947-54 W. E. Speed
- 1954-57 A. Ermon Webb
- 1957-64 Emil Williams
- 1964-70 Charles B. Thompson
- 1970-74 Jack Clack
- 1974-83 Jack Riley
- 1984-2011 Stephen P. Davis
- 2011-present Greg S. Sykes
What We Believe
God
We believe that there is only one living and true God, Creator of all things, who exists as three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. To the triune God we owe the highest love, reverence and obedience. We believe that God the Son became flesh in Jesus Christ, who was born of the virgin Mary, and He is both God and man in one person. He lived a sinless life by perfectly obeying God’s law and will, He died for our sins, He physically rose from the dead, He ascended to the right hand of the Father, and He will physically return.
Man
We believe that human beings are the special creation of God, made in His own image. But when Adam and Eve first sinned by breaking the commands God had given them, they brought both physical and spiritual death to the human race. We believe that all human beings are sinners by nature and practice and are separated from God apart from the gift of salvation offered through Jesus Christ because all have fallen short of God’s righteousness.
Salvation
We believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, physically rose from the dead, and that He alone brings salvation and forgiveness to all who truly believe in Him. We believe that salvation is the gift of God that we receive through faith. It cannot be earned or purchased by human effort. We believe that God’s election does not contradict nor negate the responsibility of sinful mankind to repent and trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We believe that all true believers, once saved, are kept secure in Christ forever. We believe that water baptism, immersion, is not required for salvation, but that it is an act of obedience following salvation. Therefore, we encourage all Christians to follow our Lord in Believer’s Baptism.
The Bible
We believe that the Bible is God’s Word, divinely inspired and without error, totally true and trustworthy. We believe that the Bible is the only infallible rule of faith and practice. We believe that God still speaks to believers today through His Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit. We believe that while there may be several applications for any given passage of Scripture, there is but one true interpretation. It is our responsibility to ascertain the true intent and meaning of Scripture.
We believe that Scripture is fully sufficient to bring us to salvation and to equip us spiritually for all that God demands of us. Nothing is to be added to God’s glorious revelation. Christians should seek to carefully study and obey God’s Holy Word. We believe that claims such as having a “word of knowledge” or a “word of prophecy” are false claims that undermine the sufficiency of Scripture.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the chief convictor of sin, the chief agent of regeneration and sanctification. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer and empowers every believer to live a godly life. Believers receive the Holy Spirit as their permanent seal and spiritual guide/helper at the moment of salvation.
We believe that the Holy Spirit imparts spiritual gifts to each member of the Body of Christ as He wills upon salvation for the work of the ministry. We believe that there is no biblical support for second blessings, additional baptisms in the Spirit, slaying in the spirit, and healing in the atonement.
We believe that God can and does still heal today, but it is done through the prayers of His people and in accordance with His own perfect will for the sick, suffering, and afflicted.
We believe that God can impart the gift of tongues as the Holy Spirit wills, but only as a known language that can be interpreted. We do not teach the practices of ecstatic utterances and prayer languages that are not known languages. We believe that prayer is personal communication with God and it is a privilege offered to all believers. We believe that the Holy Spirit initiates and empowers our prayers. The leadership of the Holy Spirit in prayer is essential.
The Christian Life
We believe that the Bible, the leading of the Holy Spirit, and the accountability and advice of other believers are all essential to living the Christian life. We believe that sinless perfection is impossible in this life, and that Christians still experience sin and suffering in this world. We believe that God has made provision for us to live an effective spiritual life through the Holy Spirit, who lives in our hearts and empowers us.
We believe that each believer is called to glorify God in every aspect of their lives. We believe that the family is the foundational institution of human life, and marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in a covenant commitment for a lifetime.
The Church
We believe that all believers, after salvation, are called to participate in the Body of Christ in the local church of their choosing. We believe that the Body of Christ is a universal body including all those saved and it is expressed in local form by the church.
We believe that Christ is the one supreme authority for the church and that pastors and ministerial staff lead as servants of and under-shepherds of Christ and have His designated authority in directing the church. We believe that the local church is an autonomous body and we call our own pastor and ministerial staff without any obligation to national bodies or organizations. We believe that the biblically designated leadership for the local church is filled by the senior pastor and ministerial staff. We believe that God no longer calls men or women as Apostles or Prophets. We believe that the ministerial staff are called by God into the ministry and ordained by the local church for service.
We believe that the biblical role of a deacon is that of a servant leader within the local church rather than a designated office. Deacons are not to function as an authoritative, administrative, or policy making group in the church. We believe that deacons are set aside by the members of the church of which they are members. Deacons are to serve under the leadership of the pastor and ministerial staff.
We believe that we should voluntarily participate as a church in the Cooperative Program, an extremely effective ministry effort coordinating the missions, service, and giving of Southern Baptist Churches.
God
We believe that there is only one living and true God, Creator of all things, who exists as three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. To the triune God we owe the highest love, reverence and obedience. We believe that God the Son became flesh in Jesus Christ, who was born of the virgin Mary, and He is both God and man in one person. He lived a sinless life by perfectly obeying God’s law and will, He died for our sins, He physically rose from the dead, He ascended to the right hand of the Father, and He will physically return.
Man
We believe that human beings are the special creation of God, made in His own image. But when Adam and Eve first sinned by breaking the commands God had given them, they brought both physical and spiritual death to the human race. We believe that all human beings are sinners by nature and practice and are separated from God apart from the gift of salvation offered through Jesus Christ because all have fallen short of God’s righteousness.
Salvation
We believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, physically rose from the dead, and that He alone brings salvation and forgiveness to all who truly believe in Him. We believe that salvation is the gift of God that we receive through faith. It cannot be earned or purchased by human effort. We believe that God’s election does not contradict nor negate the responsibility of sinful mankind to repent and trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We believe that all true believers, once saved, are kept secure in Christ forever. We believe that water baptism, immersion, is not required for salvation, but that it is an act of obedience following salvation. Therefore, we encourage all Christians to follow our Lord in Believer’s Baptism.
The Bible
We believe that the Bible is God’s Word, divinely inspired and without error, totally true and trustworthy. We believe that the Bible is the only infallible rule of faith and practice. We believe that God still speaks to believers today through His Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit. We believe that while there may be several applications for any given passage of Scripture, there is but one true interpretation. It is our responsibility to ascertain the true intent and meaning of Scripture.
We believe that Scripture is fully sufficient to bring us to salvation and to equip us spiritually for all that God demands of us. Nothing is to be added to God’s glorious revelation. Christians should seek to carefully study and obey God’s Holy Word. We believe that claims such as having a “word of knowledge” or a “word of prophecy” are false claims that undermine the sufficiency of Scripture.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the chief convictor of sin, the chief agent of regeneration and sanctification. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer and empowers every believer to live a godly life. Believers receive the Holy Spirit as their permanent seal and spiritual guide/helper at the moment of salvation.
We believe that the Holy Spirit imparts spiritual gifts to each member of the Body of Christ as He wills upon salvation for the work of the ministry. We believe that there is no biblical support for second blessings, additional baptisms in the Spirit, slaying in the spirit, and healing in the atonement.
We believe that God can and does still heal today, but it is done through the prayers of His people and in accordance with His own perfect will for the sick, suffering, and afflicted.
We believe that God can impart the gift of tongues as the Holy Spirit wills, but only as a known language that can be interpreted. We do not teach the practices of ecstatic utterances and prayer languages that are not known languages. We believe that prayer is personal communication with God and it is a privilege offered to all believers. We believe that the Holy Spirit initiates and empowers our prayers. The leadership of the Holy Spirit in prayer is essential.
The Christian Life
We believe that the Bible, the leading of the Holy Spirit, and the accountability and advice of other believers are all essential to living the Christian life. We believe that sinless perfection is impossible in this life, and that Christians still experience sin and suffering in this world. We believe that God has made provision for us to live an effective spiritual life through the Holy Spirit, who lives in our hearts and empowers us.
We believe that each believer is called to glorify God in every aspect of their lives. We believe that the family is the foundational institution of human life, and marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in a covenant commitment for a lifetime.
The Church
We believe that all believers, after salvation, are called to participate in the Body of Christ in the local church of their choosing. We believe that the Body of Christ is a universal body including all those saved and it is expressed in local form by the church.
We believe that Christ is the one supreme authority for the church and that pastors and ministerial staff lead as servants of and under-shepherds of Christ and have His designated authority in directing the church. We believe that the local church is an autonomous body and we call our own pastor and ministerial staff without any obligation to national bodies or organizations. We believe that the biblically designated leadership for the local church is filled by the senior pastor and ministerial staff. We believe that God no longer calls men or women as Apostles or Prophets. We believe that the ministerial staff are called by God into the ministry and ordained by the local church for service.
We believe that the biblical role of a deacon is that of a servant leader within the local church rather than a designated office. Deacons are not to function as an authoritative, administrative, or policy making group in the church. We believe that deacons are set aside by the members of the church of which they are members. Deacons are to serve under the leadership of the pastor and ministerial staff.
We believe that we should voluntarily participate as a church in the Cooperative Program, an extremely effective ministry effort coordinating the missions, service, and giving of Southern Baptist Churches.
FBC Parking Map
