Welcome to First Baptist Church of Fargo, North Dakota!
Established in 1879, 10 years before Statehood for North Dakota, First Baptist of Fargo has seen many changes throughout the years; from a large church in downtown Fargo in the late 19th century to today as a small church looking to God for what He has planned for us.
Salvation exists for each person in their personal relationship with God through Christ Jesus. We are free-will Baptists (as opposed to reformed); that is, each person when hearing the prompting of God, still must make that decision to surrender their life to Jesus and has the ability to say yes or no to the offer of eternal life.
Salvation does not come through works but by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-9) One must be Spiritually reborn. (John 3:3-8)
Baptism
Perhaps the one great link between all Baptist churches is our method of baptism. After one becomes a follower of Christ, they are eligible for baptism. We call this “Believer’s Baptism.” The baptism itself is not the act of salvation; Believer’s Baptism is the public affirmation of one’s faith.
Affiliations
Baptists throughout history have been very independent people! Many Baptist churches and organizations exist today. Some churches are fully independent, many others are considered autonomous. Autonomous churches are affiliated with regional and national organizations, but the local congregation makes the day-to-day decisions.
FBC, Fargo is part of the American Baptist Churches of the Dakotas (ABC-D) and American Baptist Churches, USA (ABC-USA). ABC-USA has a history in the United States dating back to the colonial era. In the years before the US Civil War, a split occurred within the Triennial Convention, the largest Baptist Missionary body in the US at the time, over the issue of slavery. The Convention mandated that no one who owned slaves could be a missionary. Southern churches objected to this mandate and split from the Triennial Convention, forming the Southern Baptist Convention. The Northern Baptists eventually became the American Baptist Churches, USA that we know today. (See here for more information: American Baptist Churches USA - Wikipedia)
Worship Style
For the most part, our Sunday Worship is traditional. We spend time in prayer, share prayer requests from the congregation, take an offering, and have a bible based message from the Pastor. Most of our music is out of a hymnal (“The Celebration Hymnal” currently) and a praise book ("Songs for Praise & Worship") and is accompanied by piano. When possible, we incorporate some contemporary Christian music and other instruments. We would love to have a more diverse instrumentation and music selection. Do you play worship guitar? Come, join us!
Bible Translation
Our pew Bible is the most recent translation (2011) of the New International Version. Though we respect the King James Version, we are not a KJV-only church. There are many theories regarding bible translation (word for word, thought for thought, paraphrase, etc.). Numerous modern English translations are published today and contain the Good News that “…God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)
Are you wondering what the best translation is? It’s whichever one you will read and understand! (Well, within reason! There are some translations that do not reflect the divinity of Christ, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses “New World Translation.”) Confused? Contact the pastor for more information.
Women in Ministry
FBC and ABC-USA fully recognize the role of women in the ministry of the church. Women serve important roles in our local church and ABC-USA churches around the country, including Senior Pastor roles. In acknowledging the calling of all into ministry roles, both women and men can be recognized in their calling through ordination.
