First Baptist Church of San Antonio is a 163-year old church located in downtown San Antonio, Texas. This New Testament church has deep roots in the community and a long history of vibrant life and service. In recent years, the church has experienced steady growth in attendance and enthusiasm. Families, children, youth, college, single adults, senior adult, and young marrieds are all a part of a strong, caring, joyful congregation.

The church offers a broad range of services to members and the community at large. Sunday offers three morning worship services in English (traditional and contemporary), another in Spanish, and four others (International congregations from East Asia). The Sunday 11 AM service is broadcast live on KSAT-12 television with a viewership of approximately 30,000. This is in addition to a Sunday Morning Bible Study opportunity at 9:30 AM. Besides Sunday activities, the church offers many weekday activities, support groups, and age-group ministries.

FBCSA stands out in the way it teaches the Bible. Youth and adults focus on the same scripture passage. Members are urged to study in preparation for Sunday services. In our Sunday Morning Bible Study the passage is examined fully with opportunity for discussion. The worship service offers a second look at the passage with a deepening understanding of its application. Finally, small groups gather weekly (Circles of Six) for encouragement and a commitment to make the passage a part of our everyday lives. Part of the joy of FBCSA is our commitment to Bible study!

First Baptist Church of San Antonio is known for its mission outreach and community service. Regular opportunities to serve the poor, the at-risk, the hurting are a part of the church’s DNA. We are also well-known for musical excellence. Choral performance and instrumental excellence are synonymous with FBCSA.

The pastors and people of FBCSA believe that God has placed us downtown (with members who travel from all parts of the city) for the purpose of bringing glory to Himself. We are enthusiastic about the days ahead and invite you to come and see for yourself that “New Life. Historic Faith” is a true description of this vibrant family at this exciting time.

Baptists have historically been non-creedal churches. We have resisted the writing of any summary beliefs that, even unconsciously, began to substitute for the "scripture as our only statement of faith." For clarity and communication purposes, however, the following statements can be confidently made about our convictions.

God is the Creator and Ruler or Sovereign of the universe. He is all-wise and all-knowing, all-powerful and omnipresent. He has eternally existed in three personalities, called the Triune God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is co-equal with the Father. In the flesh, He was both human and divine. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death and His authority to give eternal life to all who will turn from their sins and receive Him by faith as Savior and Lord. He ascended to Heaven's glory and when God brings the world to its appropriate end, He will return again personally and visibly to earth to judge the world in righteousness and to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and Jesus Christ. He is present in the world to convince people of their need for the Savior and to draw them to Him. He brings believers from spiritual death to spiritual life, guaranteed for eternity. He also lives in every Christian from the moment he/she receives Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth and guidance in doing what is right in order to become like Christ (called sanctification). The Holy Spirit gives believers spiritual gifts when they become Christians for the purpose of service. As Christians, we seek to live daily under His control.

The Bible in its entirety is God's Word to us. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the sufficient authority and supreme and final source of truth for Christian beliefs and practical living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without error.

People are made in the spiritual image of God, to become like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God's creation and God's love. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an innate attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin," which separates people from God, condemns us to be eternally lost and causes many problems in life. As "sinners," people are responsible for all sin they have committed and are under the control of the very real and personal enemy of God, Satan. Only through personal repentance of our sin and a faith commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord can we be forgiven, "saved," made sons and daughters of God forever.

Salvation is God's free gift out of His grace to us. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by personally trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness and salvation through His death and resurrection can anyone be saved from sin's penalty, which is separation from God in everlasting punishment, and to eternal life. When we turn from our self-ruled lives and turn in faith to Jesus, we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life.

Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation from the moment he/she receives Christ as Savior and Lord through eternity. Once you have been saved, you cannot "lose" it. After a person is saved, Christian growth toward Christlikeness continues by the grace and power of God through His Holy Spirit, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us security.

People are created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or eternally in fellowship with and in the presence of God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life with Heaven guaranteed. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.

The New Testament, in one usage of the word, tells us that the church is the body of Christ in the world today and is the earthly manifestation of His Kingdom. In the most common usage of the word "church," the New Testament refers to a local body of believers who have been identified with Christ in baptism. The head of the church is Jesus Christ. According to biblical examples, the purposes of the church are worship, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship and ministry to others. Biblical leaders of the church are pastors and deacons, but all members of the church are called to be ministers of God's grace and love. We believe in congregational government with each member having a voice in church decisions, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The two ordinances of the church, practices which the Lord commanded the church to perform in order to maintain awareness of the centrality of His death and resurrection, are baptism and the Lord's Supper.

We believe that God has called First Baptist Church to minister and witness to the entire city and area and that He has called us to be a church for all races and cultures and socio-economic conditions.

We believe that every believer, at the moment he/she becomes a Christian, has been given one or more spiritual gifts, which are to be discovered and developed for the building up, maturing and stability of the church, the Body of Christ, and for ministry to others. Not for personal benefit, spiritual gifts are special abilities, not to be confused with talents or fruits of the Holy Spirit or roles of Christian service. The primary means by which a Christian learns about spiritual gifts is by getting involved in ministry. As one gets into ministries, he/she finds out what one is fitted to do. One's spiritual giftedness will help him/her discover the purposes for which God brought a new member into our church's fellowship of ministers.

Have a question about what we believe at FBCSA? Get in touch with a person on our lead team directly by clicking the button below.