Who Are We?

Reformed yet Dispensational — How can that be?  First Baptist Church is reformed in the sense that we’re Calvinistic in our doctrine of salvation. We are also “reform-ish” in that we have a plurality of elders, hold a high view of the Old Testament law as it pertains to holiness of life, and employ the Regulative Principle in our worship service. We say “reform-ish” because these are not strictly Reformed ideas but are more often seen in Reformed churches today than in Dispensational churches.

Yet First Baptist Church is unapologetically Dispensational in that we are Premillennial, believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, we believe Israel always means Israel in the Bible, we don’t believe that the Church replaces Israel, and we employ a literal-historical-grammatical approach to the Scriptures rather than the heavy figurative approach that the Reformed camp allows.  Additionally, we affirm a young earth view of creation. There are other reasons that First Baptist Church is “Reformed yet Dispensational” but they all have one thing in common: they hang on the written word of God and are not captive to any denominational or ecclesiastical  “traditions.”

In short, we are not Reformed Baptist, but rather Regular Baptist in the mode of the Particular Baptists who came over from England in early American history.  We invite you to visit us to find out more.

First Baptist Church of Enfield can be described as:

• Reformed in Soteriology

• Baptistic in Church Polity

• Dispensational in Eschatology

• Fundamental in our Commitment to God’s Word

• Evangelical in our Desire to See Souls Saved

At First Baptist, we take God’s Word seriously — very seriously. And yet we don’t think you’ll find a friendlier church in the area. You see, a love for the Bible and a love for each other go hand-in-hand. If you’re looking for fellowship and seeking to come to a deeper love and knowledge of Jesus Christ, we hope you will make it a point to visit us.
	Which Bible? Effective December 2020 First Baptist Church moved to the New King James Version of the Bible (NKJV). The Elders selected the NKJV out of a desire for a translation that is accurate, beautiful, readable and based on the oldest and best attested manuscripts (Critical Text).
Membership — FBC believes in a “regenerate membership.” Those confessing the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior and baptized by immersion may be received into membership following a three-week discipleship class, interview with the Elders, and testimony before the congregation.
	Order of Priorities: 1) To glorify God. 2) To feed and equip its members. 3) To evangelize the lost.
Music — FBC services employ the “great hymns of the faith” along with contemporary songs of a suitable nature so as to “admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3.16). The key element is doctrinal precision in recognition that our dear Christ is the silent listener and invisible observer of all we do.
	Other Distinguishing Characteristics:• Part Dispensational, part Reformed Theology• Expositional preaching of the Scriptures• Calvinistic rather than Arminian• Plurality of Elders• Traditional and contemporary music• Rejection of the various “driven” models• Use of local media