First Baptist Church of Waco
Information about First Baptist Church of Waco
This congregation has close connections with Baylor University and with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The congregation is relatively diverse politically, socio-economically, and theologically. The main services of the church are conducted in English, but the church also comprises a Hispanic congregation (led by Israel Loachamin) and hosts Buffalo River Native American Church and the Korean Church of Waco. Senior pastor Matt Snowden has been at the church for ten years. The church has a strong and stable lay leadership and a history of partnering with other congregations for ministry both locally and in other parts of the city, country, and world.
Website: www.fbcwaco.org
Information about FBC Waco's Congregational Project
First Baptist Church of Waco wants to equip believers at significant transition points in their lives to recognize their Christian vocation and practice resilient ministry through the nurture of “soul culture.” The idea of soul culture is borrowed from J. B. Gambrell’s essay, “Working a Batch of Dough.” Formative elements of soul culture include beliefs, attitudes, values, goals, and practices. The church plans to train and coach disciples to reflect critically on these five elements in order to discern God’s personal call at work in their lives. This discernment should in turn lead to meaning and purpose through gospel witness and service.
First Baptist Waco will hold a series of deliberately intergenerational seminars, readings, small group discussions, and retreats or conferences. The first two phases of the project will involve cohorts reflecting on the different elements of soul culture. The second-phase cohorts will develop goals and practices particular to their own cohort, with the possibility of receiving funding for innovative ministry initiatives arising from such reflections.
FBC Waco also plans for the project to have an impact beyond the congregation by hosting retreats or conferences with local congregations and by publishing a book on soul culture. Their book, Soul Culture, came out in 2023.
For a Baptist Standard article about the congregational project, click here.