VISION STATEMENT

Serving all of Shallowater with GRACE and TRUTH. 

Serving - The Savior that we serve washed the feet of his disciples and commanded them to do the same for others. Because of this, First Shallowater seeks to humbly meet the needs of those around us. We want to be a light, an encouragement, a resource for the people that God has placed in our path. 

All - First Shallowater is not a club. We want to constantly reach out to people from all socio-economic, ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. Because we believe that God has loved all of us, we believe that we are to love others, even (maybe especially) those who are different from us. 

Shallowater - While we know that, because of the Holy Spirit, the impact of what God is doing at First Shallowater is being felt around the world, we also understand that God has intentionally placed us in this community. We love our town, and we know that God has called us to focus particularly on serving and reaching the people of Shallowater, TX. 

Grace - The word means unmerited favor, undeserved love. Each of us who are members at First Shallowater have experienced God’s grace. We know what it is like to be loved, even when we don’t deserve it. It is precisely the undeserved love of God that has completely transformed our lives. Because we have received grace, we desire to give grace. We want to love others as Christ loves us. 

Truth - In John 14:6, Jesus made a radical claim. He claimed, as the very embodiment of God, to BE our way to salvation, to BE truth, to BE the source of life. We believe that Truth is not an abstract idea. We believe that Jesus is truth! Because we believe this, we are passionate about sharing Jesus with as many people as we can. Our culture often talks about truth as if it is obscure, unknowable. But, we don’t believe that. We have encountered truth in the person of Jesus Christ, and we want others to know, to experience truth as well.

MISSION STATEMENT

Leading people into a growing relationship with Christ.

Because we believe that Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, we are committed to sharing this message with as many people as possible. We know that in Christ we become all that God created us to be. We also know that apart from Christ we experience and we perpetuate death and destruction. This knowledge compels us to use every resource, every means at our disposal to introduce others to Jesus. 

All healthy relationships need support, resources and encouragement to thrive. Our relationship with Christ is no different. In fact, we were created by God to pursue relationship with Him in community with others. At First Shallowater, we want to do everything we can to encourage and empower people to help other people take next steps in their faith. We want to equip others to grow in their commitment to and relationship with Christ.

STRATEGY STATEMENT

At First Shallowater we WORSHIP, we GROW, we SERVE and we GO. 

     We worship God. 

     We grow together. 

     We serve others. 

     We go into our community and our world with the gospel. 

We WORSHIP - The center of all of our activity is God. We want for everything pertaining to our church, our programming, our planning, our individual lives to orbit around communion with God. Worship is not just something that happens on Sunday morning. Worship is a way of living, a way of orienting our lives in relation to a righteous and holy God. We want to be people whose very lives are characterized by worship. Our Sunday morning gatherings are designed to help us explore what it means to live lives of worship. We practice together living out our worship on Sunday mornings so that we are equipped to do that every other day of the week. 

We GROW - In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands his disciple to go into all the world and make disciples. We believe that we have received this same commission from God. All of us, no matter where we are from or what our background in faith may be, are on a journey of relational discovery with Christ. We are constantly learning more about Him and more about ourselves. At First Shallowater, our desire is to equip and encourage others on that journey. We have GROW groups that are designed to place people in relationships with Godly men and women who will encourage them and help them to grow in Christ. We believe that in order to know God, we must be rooted in Scripture. We are constantly looking for ways to equip and encourage people to engage with Scripture on a regular basis. Our GROW groups study Scripture together, and work to apply the life changing principles of scripture to our own hearts and lives. Teaching during our Sunday morning gatherings is rooted in Scripture as well. The goal of all of our teaching is to point people to the person of Jesus Christ as revealed in Scripture. 

We SERVE - First Shallowater genuinely desires to be a blessing to our community. We want to partner with city officials, school administrators, coaches, teachers, counselors and others to discover needs in our community and work to meet those needs. In Philippians 2, Paul claims that an attitude of service and humility were the essential characteristics of Jesus, and he challenges the church in Philippi to embody those characteristics as well. We know that serving transforms our hearts. We also know that serving with self-sacrificing love opens up the hearts of others to the gospel. We work with several organizations to serve those in need around us. We intentionally plan opportunities for our church family to engage in serving one another, as well as our community. 

We GO - We are compelled, as recipients of the love of Christ, to share the message of Christ’s love as widely as possible. We want for everyone to experience the healing, the acceptance, the transformation that we have experienced, and that we believe is only possible in Christ. Because of this, we are constantly dreaming up ways to share the message of Jesus Christ with our neighbors, as well as with those outside of our community and around the world! We provide training for our church family that equips them to share their story, the story of how the love of Christ has changed them, with others. We seek out opportunities to share our faith, and we plan domestic and international trips focused on serving others and sharing the gospel.

The Scriptures  

The Bible was written by humans divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to  humanity. It is a treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and  truth for its matter. It is the complete revelation of His will for salvation and the only unfailing  rule of faith and practice for the Christian life. 

Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140;  Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46;  John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17;  Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.  

God  

There is one and only one living and true God. God is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal  Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness  and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing. To God we owe the highest love,  reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and  Holy Spirit. 

A. God the Father  

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the  stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all  knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God  through faith in Jesus Christ. 

Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1  Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.;  7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9 -11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1  Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6;  12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.  

B. God the Son  

Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the  Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking  upon Himself human nature yet without sin. His substitutionary death on the cross He made  provision for the redemption of humanity from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified  body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion.  He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God. He will return in power  and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission.

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Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27;  14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John  1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts  1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians  1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11;  4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6;  3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter  2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14;  12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16.  

God the Holy Spirit  

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired people to write the Scriptures.  Through illumination He enables people to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts  people of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls people to the Savior. At salvation He  baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts  believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals  the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that  God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and em powers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service. 

Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32;  Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12;  24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39;  10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16;  12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16;  4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10;  22:17.  

Humanity  

Humans are the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and  female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of  God's creation. In the beginning humanity was innocent of sin and was endowed by his  Creator with freedom of choice. By free choice humans sinned against God and brought sin  into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan humanity

transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby humankind  inherits a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are  capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the  grace of God can bring humans into His holy fellowship and enable them to fulfill the creative  purpose of God. 

Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5;  Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25;  8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11.  

Salvation  

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole person, and is offered freely to all who accept  Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the  believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and  glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. 

Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new  creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction  of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus  Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment to Him  as Lord and Savior. 

Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all  sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of  peace and favor with God. 

Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set  apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity  through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should  continue throughout life. 

Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the  redeemed. 

Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69;  2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11;  16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39; 10:9-10,13; 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians  2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians  1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9;  9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20;  21:1-22:5.  

God's Purpose of Grace  

Salvation is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies,  sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness. It  excludes boasting and promotes humility. All true believers endure to the end. Those whom  God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of  grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and  temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring  reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept  by the power of God through faith unto salvation. 

Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-8; 1 Samuel 8:4-7,19-22; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31ff.; Matthew  16:18-19; 21:28-45; 24:22,31; 25:34; Luke 1:68-79; 2:29-32; 19:41-44; 24:44-48; John 1:12-14;  3:16; 5:24; 6:44-45,65; 10:27-29; 15:16; 17:6,12,17-18; Acts 20:32; Romans 5:9-10; 8:28-39;  10:12-15; 11:5-7,26-36; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; 15:24-28; Ephesians 1:4-23; 2:1-10; 3:1-11;  Colossians 1:12-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:12; 2:10,19; Hebrews 11:39–12:2;  James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:2-5,13; 2:4-10; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:19; 3:2.  

The Church  

A New Testament church is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers,  associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances  of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by  His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. The New Testament  speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation. 

Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5;  20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23;  2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14;  Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3. 

Baptism and the Lord's Supper  

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son,  and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen  Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in  newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through  partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and  anticipate His second coming. 

Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John  3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29;  Colossians 2:12.  

Last Things  

God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According  to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will  be raised; and Christ will judge all people in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified  bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord. 

Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38;  9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans  14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians  1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1ff.; 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff.; 2; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy  4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14;  Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13.  

Evangelism and Mission  

It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church to endeavor to make  disciples of all nations. The new birth of the believers spirit by God's Holy Spirit means the  birth of love for others. Missionary effort is expressly and repeatedly commanded in the  teachings of Christ. Jesus has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations. It is the  duty of every Christian to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness  undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ. 

Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-6; Isaiah 6:1-8; Matthew 9:37-38; 10:5-15; 13:18-30, 37-43;  16:19; 22:9-10; 24:14; 28:18-20; Luke 10:1-18; 24:46-53; John 14:11-12; 15:7-8,16; 17:15;  20:21; Acts 1:8; 2; 8:26-40; 10:42-48; 13:2-3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 3:1-11;  1 Thessalonians 1:8; 2 Timothy 4:5; Hebrews 2:1-3; 11:39-12:2; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Revelation  22:17.  

Stewardship  

God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to  Him. Christians are therefore under obligation to serve God with their time, talents, and material  possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God  and for helping others. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means  cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the  kingdom of God. 

Genesis 14:20; Leviticus 27:30-32; Deuteronomy 8:18; Malachi 3:8-12; Matthew 6:1-4,19-21;  19:21; 23:23; 25:14-29; Luke 12:16-21,42; 16:1-13; Acts 2:44-47; 5:1-11; 17:24-25; 20:35;  Romans 6:6-22; 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2; 6:19-20; 12; 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8-9; 12:15;  Philippians 4:10-19; 1 Peter 1:18-19.

First Baptist Church Shallowater aligns themselves with the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message.