Being American Baptist

First Baptist Church of Overland Park is an American Baptist congregation.  American Baptists believe that each person has the right and the responsibility to read and interpret Scripture and develop their own relationship with God.  American Baptist churches operate autonomously but join together with other congregations for fellowship and support of missions.  FBC-OP is proud to be part of American Baptist Churches-USA and American Baptist Churches of the Central Region.

10 Facts You Should Know About American Baptists:

  1. We believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior and that the Bible is the divinely inspired word of God that serves  s the final written authority for living out the Christian faith.
  2. For American Baptists the local church is the fundamental unit of mission in denominational life.
  3. We partake of 2 ordinances: believers’ baptism and The Lord’s Supper.
  4. We believe that the committed individual Christian can and should approach God directly, and that individual gifts of ministry should be shared.
  5. We take seriously the call to evangelism and missionary work.
  6. We support religious freedom and respect the expressions of faith of others.
  7. We acknowledge that God’s family extends beyond our local churches, and that God calls us to cooperative ministries.
  8. We have been called to be Christ’s witnesses for justice and wholeness within a broken society.
  9. American Baptist Churches, USA celebrates the racial, cultural, and theological diversity witnessed within its membership.
  10. We heed the biblical call to renewal and the need for a vital witness in a new millenniabc logoum.