Frequently Asked Questions

At the close of our worship services our Pastor will be at the back of the worship center to meet and visit with all those in attendance. Most Sunday’s you can also find him greeting guest before our worship service in the foyer or in the worship center. He would love to meet you.

Due to the restrictive time on Sunday’s if you would like to have a more comprehensive visit with Pastor Rusty or any of our other staff, please call the church office and schedule an appointment (828) 295-7715. We would love to meet with you personally to answer any questions you might have about our church and its ministries, or just to visit and get acquainted. You can also contact any staff member by email and you will receive a prompt response.

We believe that church membership is very important for every Christian. It ties us into the local Body of Christ for fellowship, ministry and service. A believer cannot properly function and fulfill their purpose in Christ if they are not a part of the body.

We have two form of membership here at First Baptist;

1. Full membership
2. Associate Membership
• For those college students that live here during the school year but would like to keep their full church membership at their home church.
• For those part time residents that live in Blowing Rock seasonally and would like to keep their full time membership at their home church where they reside the rest of the year.
• This is basically an opportunity to give, minister and serve here in Blowing Rock while they are in residence.

You can join the church by three ways;

1. Baptism
Upon professing your faith in Jesus Christ, you can join our church by following His example in believer’s baptism. A candidate for baptism must meet with a staff member before scheduling baptism. You will become a full member upon completing baptism.

Those who have made a prior profession of faith in Jesus Christ but have not been scripturally baptized by immersion can meet with a staff member and become a candidate for baptism and full membership after they have been baptized.

2. Transferring Your Membership
A person transferring from another Baptist church may be received by letter from that church and shall become a member of our church.

3. By Statement
Anyone who has once been a member of a Baptist church, or of a church whose doctrine and form of baptism are like our own, and have been baptized by immersion, may be received into our fellowship upon a statement of their faith.

What about my children?
When a child is ready to make a commitment to Christ they may come forward during the invitation. Our Pastors will deal sensitively with the child. Information about the child’s next step will be shared with the parents. Upon completion of a meeting with one of our Pastoral staff and following in believer’s baptism, the child will become a member of the church.

So How do I do this?
You can join at anytime during the week by contacting the church office or at the conclusion of worship services at the Welcome Center. On the first Sunday's of the month, we will have a time at the end of the worship service where the Pastor will invite those interested in joining the church to come down front. During this time you may come to the front and visit with the Pastor about your intentions. He will pray with you and direct you towards the next step for membership. You may also indicate on one of our visitor cards or prayer sheets you intentions and drop it in the offering plate during the service or hand it to one of our ushers or the Pastor at the end of the service. You will be contacted that week to set up a meeting time to answer any questions you might have and follow up on your decisions. Regardless of how or when you join, we like to have an opportunity to introduce our new members to the church body and we do this on the 1st Sundays of the month at the end of the worship service. If you join during the week, or on any other Sunday, we would like for you to be introduced at the next closest 1st Sunday.

I still have questions…..

God loves you and we really care about you and we would love to share with you more about following Christ or becoming a member of First Baptist Church. Please give us a call at 828-295-7715 and ask to speak to one of the Pastors or email us at fbcbr@bellsouth.net.

In Blowing Rock
It's easy! We are located on Sunset Drive. From 321, turn onto Sunset Drive. The church is located on the left within the first block. If you go and pass the Blowing Rock School, Crippens Inn and the Inn at Ragged Gardens and end up facing Main Street, you've gone too far! From Main street, you turn down Sunset and we are on the right before you come to the light on 321.

From Boone
Take 321 south towards Blowing Rock. When you pass the Blue Ridge Parkway exit you will come to three traffic lights; the first is the entrance to the Outlet Malls, the second in the entrance to Main street and you will see a “Welcome to Blowing Rock” sign, the third is Sunset drive and you will take a right. The church will be on the Left with parking in the front, before you come to the church building, or across the street from the building.

From Hickory/Lenior
Take 321 up the mountain to Blowing Rock. Once you come into Blowing Rock, stay to the right on 321, the first traffic light you come to (past the Broyhill outlet, past Outback) will be Sunset Drive. Take a left on Sunset and the church is on the left.

We do not have a formal Sunday night worship service but rather encourage our members to spend time on Sunday afternoon and evenings with their families. We may occasionally offer a 6 to 10 week small group Bible study on Sunday evenings but they are seasonal. Some of those offered in the past have included; Experiencing God, Dave Ramsey, and Beth Moore studies for women. You can check on our homepage to see if any studies are offered this semester.

Many of our small groups and Sunday School classes use Sunday nights as a time of fellowship and ministry for their groups.

Webster defines “worship” as:

Wor•ship 1. reverence or devotion for a deity; religious homage or veneration 2. extreme devotion or intense love or admiration of any kind.

Intense love and admiration! Extreme devotion! That’s how we describe worship at First Baptist Church of Blowing Rock. We believe that worship is not something we do once a week but rather it is an outflow of our daily lives; it is who we are. On Sunday’s we gather together as the body of Christ to express that outflow together. We gather each week to worship God as a family and to express to Him our love, our thanks, and our devotion. Whether you are seeking something new, searching for some answers or just looking for a place to join together for worship we would love for you be our guest as we worship the Lord together!

9:00  and 10:30 Worship Service
Starting on May 5th, 2024 we are adding an additional worship service time on Sunday mornings. As we have continued to grow, worshiping at one time has become untenable as we have outgrown our Worship Center. After much prayer, this has led us to adding an additional worship service at 9:00 and moving our regular service from 10:00 to 10:30. Both worship services are identical in style and structure and we encourage you to attend the service that fits best with your family needs.

Our worship services are a blend that we feel fits our community. Our services  combine all different elements, types and styles of worship. We do not want to allow the terms that have grown popular over the years like "contemporary" or "traditional" to define, divide or limit us in our goal of creating a worshipful experience for every person attending. We hope to use all elements; hymns, popular choruses, videos and testimonies to help us each engage one another as we worship our heavenly Father. We firmly believe that while we may worship with different personal taste or comfort; and while we now have two worship services, we remain one body, one congregation with the same heart, passion and vision.

We want you to be comfortable worshiping with us and you will find people dressed for our services in everything from a suit, coat and tie or dress to jeans, shorts and a t-shirt. We hope to create an environment where everyone will feel welcome and at home whether you are used to a more "laid back" or "formal" setting for worship, we feel you will find a place at First Baptist where you can feel like part of the family and have an experience that will encourage you, bless you and speak to your heart.

We encourage you to visit with us and see what everyone in our community is talking about when they say we are a "unique, warm and welcoming" church where you will never leave unchallenged or loved.

Online Services
Our 10:30 Sunday morning worship service can be watched by livestream on Youtube or Facebook by searching for "First Baptist Church of Blowing Rock" or on this website. Once you find the page, you can "like" the page and it will remind you when our services are live. Once the service is over is can be watched at any time later from either of those sites. 

Sound Enhancement Devices
Assisted Listening Devices are available during the 11:00 Worship Service. For assistance, please visit either the sound booth at the back of the worship center or see one of our greeters. For the 9:30 service some of you might prefer earmuffs, but those you will have to bring yourself.

Sermon Podcast
The Pastor's sermons are available online on the Monday after the worship service on our podcast page that you can find from the link at the top of this webpage or by going to iTunes or Spotify and typing in "First Baptist Blowing Rock" in the podcast search. You can download any message from these pages to your personal phones or devices or listen directly on your computer or device.

Sermon CD's
CD's of the Pastor's sermons are available the Monday after the worship service in the church office. You can sign up for a CD or a sermon series on the forms in the main office or by email request at office@firstbaptistblowingrock.com

No matter what your personal style, you’ll be comfortable at First Baptist Church of Blowing Rock. If you prefer dressy, business, or casual attire, chances are there will be others dressed much like you no matter when you visit. You will find everything from jeans, pants and shorts or suits, dresses, ties and coats; whatever your style, you’ll be right at home with us. We want you to be comfortable with the attire you choose to worship in. Whether you like to dress up or dress down on Sunday mornings, you will fit in here!

Naturally, Wednesday evenings and our weekly small group times are much more casual than Sunday mornings, but feel free to dress as you prefer.

Preschoolers and children learn while they play. We encourage hands on play so that children are learning through all their senses. Painting and other “messy” activities are also encouraged, so use your own judgment about how dressed up your child is while at church.

Our Middle and High School students usually dress casually on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings.

We affirm the Holy Bible as the inspired Word of God and the basis for our beliefs. The church subscribes to the following doctrinal statement:

Scriptures
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were given by inspiration of God, and are the only sufficient, certain and authoritative rule of saving knowledge, faith and obedience. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.

God
There is but one God, the Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things, having in and of Himself all perfections, and being infinite in them all; and to Him all creatures owe the highest love, reverence and obedience.

The Trinity
God is revealed to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence or being.

Humanity
The creation of humanity in the image of God is the climax of God’s creative work. Sin is humanity’s rebellion against God, resulting in separation from God that can only be healed by the redeeming work of Christ made available through the Holy Spirit. Each person is competent to interpret the Scriptures and to exercise saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the unique incarnation of God in history and through His perfect life, atoning death, triumphant resurrection, and present intercession redeems humanity from sin and spiritual death to eternal life and Christian service.

The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is God present in the world as the Spirit of Christ, leading persons to conviction, repentance and faith, and it is the Christian’s privilege and duty to heed and obey the Spirit of Christ in all things.

The Experience of Salvation
In response to the witness of the Holy Spirit, each person must repent of sin, trust and obey Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and undertake to live as a dedicated disciple of Christ.

Sanctification
Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God’s purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual perfection through the presence and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person’s life.

The Church
We believe in the universal church, a living body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, an autonomous body of baptized believers in Christ who are associated by covenant in the fellowship of the gospel, observing the ordinances of Christ, committed to His teachings, and seeking to extend His kingdom to all mankind. It operates through democratic processes in which the members share equal franchise and responsibilities.

The Ordinances
As Baptist, we believe Christ gave the church two ordinances: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. They are symbolic reminders of the essence and central teachings of the gospel, and as such are to be observed in obedience to Christ as Lord.

• Baptism by immersion of the believer on profession of faith in Christ symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for the redemption of humanity and the spiritual death, burial and resurrection of the believer in transition from the old life in sin to the new life in Christ.
• The Lord’s Supper symbolizes the atoning love unto death of Jesus Christ for human redemption; and it symbolizes the church being constituted as the body of Christ through its reception and participa¬tion in His shared body and blood and, thus, also in His eternal life.

The Culmination of History
God in God’s own time and way will bring history to its culmination in the personal return of Christ, and in the resurrection and final judgment.

This is a brief overview of our general statements of beliefs. For a more detailed look at our beliefs with scriptural references please contact the church office.

FBC is a growing community and we are excited that you are considering visiting with us in person. We would like to personally greet you and help you and your family find your way on your first visit. In the Worship Center entrance you will find Greeters with marked nametags to assist newcomers as they seek to find a Small group that fits your unique needs or inform you about our Sunday morning schedule for youth and children.

We also have our church monthly newsletters and weekly bulletins that outline all of the available activities and their locations. You can also check out our Sunday schedule here on our website to better determine the best time for you to visit with us.

First Baptist Church is surrounded by easily accessible parking spaces. Entry to the main lot can be made from Sunset Avenue before you arrive at the church proper. There is also parking available in front of the church bordering Sunset Avenue. There is additional parking across the street from the church at the "Church Annex" and is marked by signs. You may also park across the street from the church at the parking for Antique Store or at the "Famous Toastery" as long as they remain closed. 

During inclement weather you can drop off passengers at the South entrance main doors for protected entrance. Once inside the Worship Center foyer you will find greeters waiting to assist you in finding your way around. We also have overflow parking across the street from the church in the Village Pharmacy / Blowing Rock Grille parking lot. This will allow you to cross Sunset and come in through the front entrance to the church

Handicap Accessible Parking
There is handicap parking on our Main lot on the South entrance with easy access to the Worship Center. Our greeters have wheelchairs available to assist anyone with special needs. All you need to do is ask at the Worship Center doors for assistance. We also have Handicap parking on the North Side/fellowship Hall entrance for those needing access to Sunday School and small group classes.

When you know your children are in a loving and safe environment you can relax, allowing you to focus on worship and Bible study.

Registration

To keep track of all of our children while they are on campus attending the various activities, we ask that you register them at the registration desk - noted by large signs. Upon your first visit with us, we will ask for you to fill out some information so we can know more about your children such as allergies, etc. On subsequent visits all you will need to do it sign in at one of the kiosk. 

Nursery

We provide a fully staffed nursery from 8:30 -12:15 every Sunday morning for infants through 4 year olds. The infant nursery is staffed by trained personal. Our Preschoolers are actively engaged in play while learning about God’s love for them during this time. The nursery is located in the center of our education wing and identified by the proper signs. Our greeters will be glad to direct you.

9:00 Small Group Classes

During the 9:00 hour all school aged children (k-5th) attend age graded Bible Study classes and after checking your child in at the registration desk, they meet in the Fellowship Hall before going to their classes and may be picked up at the same place after classes. 

10:30 Worship Time

We believe in intergenerational worship for all ages so at 10:30 your children are invited to remain with you in our Worship center for worship and will be dismissed after the music to go to Children's Church in the fellowship hall. So if you are coming for worship, please register your children and then they will leave with our children's workers to attend children's church. You can pick your children up after the Worship service at the fellowship hall at the North end of our campus at the end of our education wing.