Purpose, Mission, Vision
Purpose, Mission, Vision
At FBCC, we exist to spread the supremacy of God by treasuring Christ together and building laborers in the local church
Our Values
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We believe the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, the gospel, is equally applicable for believers and non-believers alike (Rom 1:16, 1 Cor 2:2). It is the gospel (the grace of God) that trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age (Titus 2:11-14). Therefore, we seek to enjoy Jesus Christ above all things and endeavor to apply the gospel of Jesus Christ to every aspect of our lives.
As a church, we aspire to bring the gospel message into every sermon. The songs we sing in the service are predominantly focused on different aspects of the gospel message. In conflict resolution amongst members, we seek to bring the gospel to bear and encourage members to show grace towards one another in the way that grace was shown to them by Jesus.
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We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God (2 Pet 1:19-21), the truth without any mixture of error (Ps 12:6, Prov 30:5), and in it is contained all that is required for salvation (Rom 10:17) and every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17), which the Holy Spirit helps us to understand (1 Cor 2:10-12), and that which is required for salvation is clear (Isa 55:10-11, Ps 119:130). The Word of God is a delight for all believers (Ps 19:10, Ps 119:14-16) and it sustains our souls just as food sustains our bodies (Matt 4:4), reveals our sins and innermost thoughts (Heb 4:12), bears witness to the truth of Christ and the gospel (John 5:39, John 10:27-28) and prevents us from fashioning God into what we want him to be (Acts 17:29). The believer should be capable of handling Scripture rightly (2 Tim 2:15) in order to teach and rebuke one another (Col 3:16) and to know what is pleasing to the Lord (Eph 5:10).
As a church, we study the Bible together through verse by verse exposition during corporate gatherings, seek to consult the Scriptures in order to determine how we should act as individuals and as a church, encourage memorization (Ps 119:11, Col 3:16), seek to daily spend time in the Word (Acts 17:11-12), and encourage family devotions (Eph 6:4, Deut 6:6-7).
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While we do not understand the mystery of how a sovereign God uses the prayers of His people for His purposes, we believe that God delights in the prayers of His people (Revelation 5:8), that He is glorified in the answering of prayers prayed according to His will (John 14:13) and that there is great benefit to prayer (Matthew 6:6). We believe that prayerfulness is evidence of our dependence on Christ and thus desire to be a congregation marked by our prayerful dependence on Him (Psalm 127:1).
We seek to create a prayerful church body by incorporating a pastoral prayer into each worship service, encouraging prayerfulness during personal devotions and by having a weekly prayer meeting on Sundays from 9:45am to 10:30am.
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We believe that every man and woman is a minister. It is all too common to assume the work of the ministry rests entirely on the paid church staff; however, truly healthy churches have trained, equipped, lay people fully engaged in the work of evangelism, discipleship, leadership development, and pastoral care. (2 Tim 2:2, I Thess 2:8). It is the church staff's responsibility to ensure that the members of the church are equipped for the work of the ministry.
As a church, we seek to have every member in an intentional process of discipleship and leadership development, seeing that they are equipped for the work of the ministry. Every member has someone in the church who is thinking for their spiritual growth and development.
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We believe all people are sinners in need of salvation (Romans 3:23). It is impossible to have faith without knowledge; it is impossible to trust God until you have heard what he has done. (John 14:6; Romans 10:14-17; 1 Corinthians 15:1-6; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 John 2:24-25) Sinners will not be saved without faith; we need to insist that they hear what God has done to save sinners. (Psalm 105:1; Isaiah 12:1-5; Matthew 4:19, 9:37-38, 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; John 20:21-22; Acts 13:47, 20:24; Romans 1:16; 2 Corinthians 5:20; 2 Timothy 4:1-2; 1 Peter 3:14-16).
As a church, we ensure that every member understands and can articulate the gospel. We encourage our members to show hospitality and connect with non-believers in their day to day lives, seeking to build relationships and create opportunities to share our faith. We also support missionaries and ministries as they spread the gospel around the world.
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We believe we are called to do life together as a church family (Acts 2:42-47), loving one another (John 13:34, Rom 12:10), meeting together, encouraging each other (Heb 24-25, 1 Thess 5:11), teaching and admonishing each other (Col 3:16, Gal 6:1), worshiping together (Col 3:16, Eph 5:19), and caring for each other’s needs (Gal 6:2, Acts 2:45). We do this out of love for each other (John 13:34, 1 John 4:7), as members of the household of faith (Gal 6:10), and it is through our love for one another that the world will know we are disciples of the Lord (John 13:34-35).
As a church, we seek to create environments where our members can do life together, whether it be worshiping, studying the word, or sharing meals. Beyond the activities we do together as a church body, our members should seek each other out, connecting and caring for each other as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
What We Believe
What We Believe
About God- God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God (Genesis 1:1, 26-27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; I Peter 1:2, II Corinthians 13:14).
About Jesus Christ- Jesus Christ is God. He is co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus, born to a virgin, lived a sinless life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of people by dying on the cross. He arose from the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; I Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; I Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13).
About the Holy Spirit- The Holy Spirit is God. He is co-equal with the Father and Jesus Christ. He makes people aware of their need for Jesus Christ, and He lives in every Christian with Power and guidance for doing what is right and with understanding of Christian truth. He gives every believer spiritual gifts when they are saved. As Christians, we are to seek to live under His control daily (II Corinthians 3:17; John 14:16-17, 16:7-13, Acts 1:8, I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18; Galatians 5:25).
About the Bible- The Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of God’s revelation of Himself to man. We believe the Bible has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter. It is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:21; John 5:39; Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 119:105).
About Mankind- Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in his own image, and in that Christ died for man, therefore, every person possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love (Genesis 1:26-30; Psalm 8:5-6).
About Sin- Adam, the first man, sinned by disobeying God. This act resulted in the fall of mankind, meaning that all people have sinned and lost their ability to live in perfect obedience to God. Sin separates people from God for eternity and causes many problems in life (Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 3:10-23, 5:12-21, 6:23).
About Salvation- Salvation is a free gift of God and we can never earn or deserve it by good works. We receive this free gift by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness and by accepting Jesus Christ’s leadership in our lives (Ephesians 2:8-10; II Corinthians 5:21; Romans 10:9-10).
About Eternal Security- Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot lose it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God that gives us this security (John 10:29; II Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10, 14; I Peter 1:3-5).
About the Church- The church is the body of Christ and the family of God. It is made up of saved and baptized believers who celebrate God’s presence [worship], demonstrate God’s love [ministry], communicate God’s Word [evangelism], incorporate God’s family [fellowship], and educate God’s people [discipleship] (Matthew 4:10, 16:18, 22:36-40, 28:19-30; I Corinthians 12:12-14; Hebrews 6:1, 10:25; Psalm 122:1, John 13:35, Ephesians 2:10).
About Evangelism- It is the responsibility and privilege of every Christian to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and to seek to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).
About Eternity- People are created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence (John 3:16, 14:17; Romans 6:23, 8:17-18; I Corinthians 2:7-9; Revelation 20:15).
About the Home- In addition to these important beliefs, we also believe that God has given the parents and the home the responsibility to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 22:6).
About Prayer- Prayer is communicating with God. Prayer is both listening to God and speaking with God. It is intimate fellowship between God and the believer. Prayer is an attitude of our hearts and our minds. To pray is to give Jesus permission to use His power in our lives to glorify God (I Chronicles 16:11; II Chronicles 7:14; Jeremiah 29:13; Luke 11:2, 18:1; John 16:24; Ephesians 6:18; I Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:16; I John 5:14-15).
Our Leadership
Our Leadership
John Ross - Senior Pastor
John has been appointed by the church to be our next senior pastor, beginning May 2025. He and his wife Brooke have four daughters: Eva, Zoe, Scarlet and Pax. John has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Kentucky and a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He loves spending time with his family, reading, playing & listening to music, and geeking out about coffee. Check out his Scripture reading podcast series, Commuter Bible.
Michael Robb - Interim Pastor
Michael was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He attended college in Tennessee where he married his wife, Hayley. Discerning a call to ministry, he returned to school to get his MDiv while serving as a pastoral intern in Chattanooga, TN. Feeling the burden of lostness in their own backyard, Michael and Hayley moved to Atlanta in the hopes to continue serving a local church. In February 2020, he was called to serve as a pastor at FBCC. Michael and Hayley live with their three children, Tabitha, Titus, and Rosemary, in Mableton.
Greg Ashworth - Elder
Greg and Laura have been members of First Baptist Chattahoochee since 2017. It is with great thankfulness that Greg looks back and has confidence that God saved him as a child and can see how God has been faithful to sanctify him since. While at Georgia Tech, an older brother in his fraternity invited Greg into a discipleship relationship and this time was transformational for him spiritually. Because his time at Tech was so helpful spiritually, after graduating Greg spent six years on staff with Cru Campus Ministry focused on introducing students to Christ and helping them mature in the gospel. Before getting married, both he and Laura lived overseas as missionaries for a couple years; Greg in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Laura in Budapest, Hungary. Greg and Laura now live in Smryna and have three children and Greg currently works as a civil engineer. Greg has a particular heart to see our church grow in prayerfulness and love for the Bible.
Charlie Brooks - Elder
God worked in Charlie’s heart through the ministry of Campus Outreach while he was in college at Furman University. It was there that God gave him a vision of evangelism and discipleship. Charlie spent 9 years on staff with Campus Outreach in Greenville, SC and Minneapolis, MN. Upon moving to Atlanta in 2013, Charlie and Jen became members of First Baptist Chattahoochee and have sought to continue gospel ministry throughout their time at the church. They live in the Riverside neighborhood near the church with their 4 children. Charlie works in Product Management at a Financial Services company. Charlie has a particular heart for teaching young parents how to parent in line with the truth of the gospel.
Jonathan Howard - Elder
Jonathan has been attending First Baptist Chattahoochee since the 2021 and been a member since 2022. In 2023, he married his wife, Julia, bringing her in to the FBCC family. They live in Smyrna, GA, with their two golden retrievers, Andy and Opie.
Jonathan is no stranger to ministry and life in the church. He grew up as the oldest son of a father who served in multiple pastoral and ministerial occupations. While he came to a saving faith in the Lord at a young age, it was during his high school years that Jonathan first began to work through the truth and beauty of God's design for His creation to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever." It is this truth that feeds Jonathan's passion to see those around him experience the deep satisfaction of knowing Jesus. As one of his favorite writers puts it, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."
Our History
Our History
First Baptist Church Chattahoochee had its beginning in the year 1881, known as Antioch Church. The church then was housed in a small one-room framed structure located in a grove of trees where the fire station presently stands on Main Street. This church disbanded in 1887, and moved to Cox Crossroads which is now the intersection of Moores Mill and Howell Mill Roads. The church was known then as Seven Miles Church as it was seven miles from Atlanta. This attempt at forming a church was thwarted due to the distance that the people in Whittier Mill Village had to travel.
In 1897, Rev. William Tuck Sammons led a group from Seven Miles Church to organize and constitute a new church. This group met under a big oak tree near the Broadbrent house located near Whittier Mill. After hearing a challenging message by the Reverend S. L. Harris, this group completed the removal from Seven Miles Church and they called themselves the New Antioch Baptist Church. The new congregation met in different homes until the building of Chattahoochee School was completed in 1899, when they began meeting on the top floor of the school.
In 1903, the members of New Antioch Baptist Church decided to construct their own place of worship. It was requested of Mr. Harry English of Chattahoochee Brick Company, that he donate land on which the church could be constructed. Mr. English provided the land that the church presently stands on, and the first building to go up was a white frame structure. It was completed and dedicated to the Lord on the first Sunday in May, 1905.
On January 19, 1941, plans were begun to build a larger sanctuary to be located at the front of the white frame building. Dedication of the new sanctuary was on September 6, 1942, when the cornerstone was laid in the afternoon. At this time the name of the church was changed from New Antioch to the First Baptist Church, Chattahoochee, Georgia and later to FBC Chattahoochee.
Through the years many godly and committed men have led our church as pastors. We are so indebted to each of them for their dedication and selfless service as each man brought unique gifts and abilities to help our church follow God’s will. God has been faithful, is being faithful, and will be faithful to build this church as He sees fit. May He use this church for His glory and His renown for many years to come.
Church Covenant and Constitution
Church Covenant and Constitution
Church Covenant
Having been led, as we believe by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the profession of our faith having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.
For the Advancement of This Church
We engage, therefore by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines.
As Christian Stewards
To contribute cheerfully and regularly, as God has prospered, to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.
Alone and at Home
We also engage to maintain family and personal devotion; to educate our children religiously; to seek salvation of our kindred and acquaintances.
Before the World
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and that separation from all religious apostasy, all sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God.
Toward One Another
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Savior, to secure it without delay.
When We Move
We moreover engage that when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.
Church Constitution
In 2024, we began operating under the constitution available below