First Baptist Church, Whiteville, NC, was constituted August 17, 1834. The Church has a long history of a commitment to missions.
We consider ourselves to be an inter-generational church. Because of our belief in the priesthood of believers, we strive to make First Baptist Whiteville an atmosphere where people of all ages can bring their gifts in service to the Lord. We take great pride in the fact that in a world that creates generational divides, we have a church community that builds bridges between people from all generations; the youngest and the oldest all have a place at the Lord’s table and we aim to practice that in our local Body of Christ.
The Church is affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. We put a lot of emphasis as a congregation on listening to God and employing a traditional style of worship, emphasizing sacred music to enable reverent, respectful, and intentional engagement with the Holy Spirit.
First Baptist Whiteville believes that men and women are equally called to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world, therefore we ordain both men and women as ministers and deacons. Our membership by gender is 59.15% female and 40.85% male. We have a number of children and youth that participate in programs offered by the church that are not members, and thus do not show up on the church roll. The largest segment of our membership resides in the 65 and over category, followed by the 45 -59 age group.
Our Facility
The Church has been blessed with many capable pastors who have enjoyed a long tenure with the community. The Church is blessed with beautiful facilities. The sanctuary is an inspirational environment for worship.
Date of Construction: 1952
Sanctuary Seating Capacity: 400
Fellowship Hall seating Capacity: 300
Educational Spaces: 21,078 Square Feet
Church Governance
1. Congregational Government. This is a sovereign and democratic Baptist Church under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The government of this Church is congregational in nature and vested in the body of believers who compose it and is subject to the control of no other ecclesiastical or political bodies. The membership retains unto itself the exclusive right of self-government in all phases of the spiritual and temporal life of this Church.
2. Relationships. Recognizing that there is mutual helpfulness in the association and cooperation of Christian churches, this Church will, insofar as is practical, cooperate with and support other Christian churches and organizations.
Sharing the joy and love of Christ through active caring congregational care, quality sacred music, and engagement in missions at home and abroad are revered traditions and trademarks of the Church’s past and future desires.
Our City
Whiteville is a small town, located in Eastern North Carolina. With a total area of 5.4 square miles. It provides a certain small town southern charm.
