First Free Will Baptist Church

You are welcome here!

FFWBC is a church dedicated to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We believe in a simple but effective commandment, Love God, and Love people.  We believe that life is all about Jesus Christ, and because He lives, we can live.  Because He is strong, we can be strong.  Because He is peace, we can have peace.  We are very passionate about making sure that we exalt Jesus Christ in all we do.  We hope you find the information you need from this website, but we hope to make a lasting impression on you in person, so we invite you to come worship with us.  

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Friendly People - We strive to make everyone feel welcome!  Our Hospitality team will meet you at the door  and will always be anxious to share directions or answer any questions you may have.  Then you will feel the warmth and welcome from our people.  Feel free to sit anywhere!  No  one has assigned seat at FFWBC.

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HISTORY OF FIRST FREE WILL BAPTIST CHURCH OF CHURCH HILL, TN

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Several members of various churches who were residents of the Church Hill area, believing in the Free Will Baptist doctrine, met September 27, 1951 in an upper room of the old Citizens Union Bank building for the purpose of organizing a Free Will Baptist church.  Ministers present were Frank Thompson, Herman Christian, and George Dunbar.  Rev. Dunbar presided at the meeting.  The church was organized with twenty-four members.

 

            The First Free Will Baptist Church of Church Hill was the name chosen for the new church.  The first church building was a building known as the “old Cooper Hardware building”.  The church stayed in the old hardware building about a year.

 

            In October 1951, the members stepped out on faith and purchased five lots from C.H. Richardson for $1,500.  This property at the corner of Maple Avenue and Oak Drive became the home of the First Free Will Baptist Church of Church Hill, and is the present location of the church.

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At FFWBC, we appreciate our heritage as Free Will Baptists and want to share the history of our denomination with you. But our first allegiance is to Christ and His worldwide Kingdom. We wish to cooperate with other groups who share our faith and zeal. We agree with the ancient theologian who said, "In essentials, unity; In non-essentials, diversity; in all things, charity."

Many of our members come from other denominational backgrounds. We don't demand conformity to every detail of Free Will Baptist interpretation, but we do anticipate basic agreement with the following "Articles of Faith” printed in A Treatise of the Faith and Practices of the Original Free Will Baptists, published by the Executive Office of the National Association of Free Will Baptists:

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1. The Bible. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and are our infallible rule of faith and practice.

2. God. There is one living and true God, revealed in nature as the Creator, Preserver, and Righteous governor of the universe; and in the Scriptures as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; yet as one God, infinitely wise and good, whom all intelligent creatures are supremely to love, adore and obey.

3. Christ. Christ is God manifest in the flesh; in His divine nature truly God, in His human nature truly man. The mediator between God and man, once crucified, He is now risen and glorified, and is our ever present Savior and Lord.

4. The Holy Spirit. The Scriptures assign to the Holy Spirit all the attributes of God.

5. The Government of God. God exercises a wide and benevolent providence over all beings and all things by maintaining the constitution and laws of nature. He also performs special acts, not otherwise provided for, as the highest welfare of men requires.

6. The Sinfulness of Man. Man was created innocent, but by disobedience fell into a state of sin and condemnation. His posterity, therefore, inherits a fallen nature of such tendencies that all who come to years of accountability, sin and become guilty before God.

7. The Works of Christ. The Son of God by His incarnation, life, sufferings, death, and resurrection effected for all a redemption from sin that is full and free, and is the ground of salvation by faith.

8. The Terms of Salvation. The conditions of salvation are: (1) Repentance of sin or sincere sorrow for sin and hearty renunciation of it. (2) Faith or the unreserved committal of one's self to Christ as Savior and Lord with purpose to love and obey Him in all things. In the exercise of saving faith, the soul is renewed by the Holy Spirit, freed from the dominion of sin, and becomes a child of God. (3) Continuance in faith and obedience unto death.

9. Election. God determined from the beginning to save all who should comply with the conditions of salvation. Hence by faith in Christ men become His elect.

10. Freedom of the Will. The human will is free and self-controlled, having power to yield to the influence of the truth and the Spirit, or to resist them and perish.

11. Salvation Free. God desires the salvation of all, the Gospel invites all, the Holy Spirit strives with all, and whosoever will may come and take of the water of life freely.

12. Perseverance. All believers in Christ, who through grace persevere in holiness to the end of life, have promise of eternal salvation.

13. Gospel Ordinances. BAPTISM, or the immersion of believers in water, and the LORD'S SUPPER, are ordinances to be perpetuated under the Gospel. FEET WASHING, an ordinance teaching humility, is of universal obligation, and is to be ministered to all true believers.

14. Tithing. God commanded tithes and offerings in the Old Testament: 
    Jesus Christ endorsed it in the Gospel (Matt. 23:23), and the apostle Paul said, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him" (1 Cor. 16:2a).

15. The Christian Sabbath. The divine law requires that one day in seven be set apart from secular employments and amusements, for rest, worship, holy works, and activities, and for personal communion with God.