Who We Are
Welcome to First African Baptist Church. Welcome to the place where you can serve, belong, and make an impact. We believe that ministry conforms to the needs of God's people. Located in Downtown Tuscaloosa, we are a church that loves God and His people. Organized in 1866, First African Baptist Church has a deep rooted history in the Civil Rights Movement in Tuscaloosa and is the place where Bloody Tuesday. First African is a National Historic Landmark and is a stop on the Tuscaloosa Civil Rights History Trail. For more about our history, click here. Below you will find what we believe, our three pillars: mission, outreach, and education, and our associations.
Our Belief
The Baptist Covenant
Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we do now in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.
We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, disciple, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, and the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.
We also engage to maintain family and secret devotion; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagement, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage, and to be zealous in our efforts to advance The Kingdom of our Savior.
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer, to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy and speech; to be slow to take offence, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure it without delay.
We moreover engage that when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word.
And now unto Him, who brought again from the dead, Our Lord Jesus, be power and Glory forever. Amen.
Our Pillars
FABC believes in Mission, Outreach, and Education. These 3 statements are found within the church logo and play a critical part in the life of the church.
Mission
We believe in carrying out the principles found in Matthew 28:16-20 (also known as The Great Commission). Through preaching and teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we carry out this mission. Mission is beyond what we do on Sundays. By investing time in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and in the community, financial support to different missions and community initiatives, and by sharing His Word, the mission of the church is achieved.
Outreach
We believe that every Christian is called to serve the community. Whether it is on a local, state, regional, national, or international scale, FABC has supported building the community at various age ranges. One way we do this is through our partnership with the Tuscaloosa Community Soup Bowl. First African is one of the five founding churches of the Community Soup Bowl and continues to support the 501(c)3 non-profit organization. FABC also has active persons that support missions within our community through district affiliations. We believe that Outreach is helping fulfill the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20.
Education
"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
A key verb in The Great Commission found in Matthew 28:16-20 is teaching. FABC is a church that believes in Christian Education. From the Pulpit, to Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Bible Studies, and Small Groups, teaching the Word of God has been paramount in the history of First African Baptist Church and the Bible will continue to be the foundation of our church.
Our Associations
National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
Founded in 1886, the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. (Convention) is the nation’s oldest and largest African American religious convention with an estimated membership of 7.5 million.
https://www.nationalbaptist.com/
Alabama State Missionary Baptist Convention, Inc.
The purpose of the Alabama State Missionary Baptist Convention, Inc. is to reach, involve, and enlist every member of every Missionary Baptist Church in the state of Alabama in the work of Christian Missions and Christian Education, with the lofty goal of unity and cooperation of the Missionary Baptist Church in the promulgation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through general and ministerial education and to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), by promoting Home and Foreign Missions and the support of Christian Education. We further engage that the preaching of the Gospel shall be done by those divinely called by God according to the Scripture.
https://alabamastatebaptist.org/
