About Us - First Baptist Church Marble Falls

A Brief Church History

Do you know our church’s history? My grandfather told me that if I didn’t know my history there was little hope of any future. I think he was referring to the fact that current events always have a genesis in the past, and so if anyone wants to move forward in a positive way he needs to be well acquainted with what has gone on before. It is also a proper humbling to remember that things didn’t start with me. Our church did not begin recently. We did not just start being missional, or just start reaching out to our community, or just start trying to be faithful in creative ways.

No, our church has been all of these things for over 125 years! We have a very faithful past. We began in 1888. Our first meeting was in Johnson Park on old railroad ties. And the Spirit of God was there. It was difficult going for many decades, and our doors might have closed had it not been for the power of the Holy Spirit and the deep sacrifice of our faithful people. God had big plans for us. In 1958, God brought a great pastor and his wife who worked tirelessly for 42 years to help our church be all that God wanted us to be, Max and Glenna Copeland.

Our church experienced a tragedy when it burned down in 1961, which was a catalyst for a wise relocation from downtown to 12th Street. The Spirit of God was there. Our church has now moved to a new location in only the 2nd time in our history.

First Baptist Marble Falls has made a difference locally and globally for well over one hundred years. The legacy of our faithful past coupled with the amazing power of God, we are always encouraged that the brightest days are ahead of us.

Our Mission

Jesus said that He has come to bring an abundant and full life to humanity in John 10:10. Paul tried to describe it like this,

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

These are not isolated statements in scripture; all throughout the Bible we see this amazing teaching about how life was lost because of sin and regained in Jesus Christ. This is the mission of God, to restore a broken world back to the life God intended. Our family of faith loves this mission and we have committed all we are to joining God in it.

This is the life of the Kingdom. We believe that the Kingdom of God is an exciting, loving, imaginative and holy rule of God, and we have discovered abundant life in that Kingdom. We want to be a part of it. We believe that when Jesus asked people to follow Him, it was a calling to give up one’s own life in order to find a life that is exceedingly richer and deeper. This is not a movement only with us, but is historical and contemporary, and we are happy to say that we are a part of it. It is not always an easy thing, but following Christ has been the most life-giving thing we have ever experienced. This is our story and it is our mission as a church. All of our ministries and efforts are aligned to this one thing. It’s that simple. If someone ever asked what our process is for achieving this mission it is simple as well.

When most people start out as Christ-followers they quickly find life in worshiping God. Worshiping God is experienced in many ways where one learns to find and love God. It is prayer, Bible study, being aware of God’s presence, meditating on scripture and God’s will for life, fasting, fellowship, times of silence and living simply, singing and praising God in song and so many others. This devotion to God in worship forms the foundation of our faith. But the journey of following Christ does not end there. There is more life to be found.

We build strong friendships with other Christ-followers in what we call community. Some feel that the community of Christian faith, the church, is a pathetic hypocritical kind of group. True, we are not perfect, but loneliness and isolation is not life and so we come together in community, and we try our best. These communities of faith are found in every corner of the world. Some are persecuted, some are growing, some are stagnant and unfaithful, but we strive to follow Christ Jesus together in love. And that is a special thing in today’s world. But, following Christ leads to more life stage.

Giving of ourselves fully to the mission of helping others find life in Christ is rewarding. Our church has a vast infrastructure where all can give of themselves both locally and globally to our mission’s end. This is a great and historical mission and we have seen it work. It’s our story. Life in Christ is what we are all about, and everyone, regardless of their past, is warmly invited to journey with us.