Basic Beliefs


FBC is an American Baptist Church,
We participate in Communion the 1st Sunday of each month. We use some form of bread to represent Christ's body being broken for us on the Cross--reminding us of his death. We also use grape juice to represent Christ's blood being shed for our sins.

Most all Christian Faiths have this common belief: That Christ (a.k.a. Jesus) died to atone for our sins--in a sense erasing them--and giving us the opportunity to have eternal salvation (a fancy way of saying that we get to live in heaven forever). We believe that the only way to the Father is through the Son. (In other words, we believe that one must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and give his/her heart to him to receive eternal life with God in heaven.)

Below is a list of our doctrinal statements of Faith

1.  We believe the Bible is the Divinely inspired Word of God.

2.  We believe that God exists eternally and that He manifests Himself in 3 Ways: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (the example of water often helps to understand this concept. Water can be in the form of liquid water, ice, or steam)

3. We believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, and that He was and is God, and He lived and walked on this earth in the form of a man.

4.  We believe that Jesus was crucified and died, and that 3 days later he rose from the dead. 

5. We believe Jesus is the one and only Savior through whom all sinners can find forgivness and salvation. (each and every one of us fall into the category of being a sinner)

6. We believe that Salvation is a gift of grace from God, and that it is not something that can be earned. It is not possible to work one's way into heaven.

7. We believe Jesus will come again to this world to rule and reign in righteousness, and that His coming again is imminent, and that it will be literal, personal, visible and sudden.

 

One way American Baptists differ from other Baptists is that we Ordain (allow) female ministers. We also have women serving in leadership roles in our congregations.

Our Pastors are not chosen for us. Much in the same way that you might find a job, each church interviews and offers the Pastor position to the person they feel is the best fit for the job. In turn the Pastor has the option of accepting or declining the position.

Pastor Rob periodically offers a class that gives much more info on the American Baptist Denomination. Feel free to ask him about the next class or for more info.






Our Pastor, Rob Clausen

A few key things we want you to know about our Pastor:

  • Rob is an energetic and dynamic speaker

  • Rob has a great sense of humor; he's a really good sport
    and enjoys laughing at himself, as much as the rest of us do!

  • Rob's sermons are Great. He talks to us, not at us.
    He inspires us to want to be closer to God!
    He has a great balance of humor and seriousness.

  • We all especially appreciate that he is able to
    make his point in reasonable amount of time!
    He never seems to be talking just because he likes the sound of his own voice


Rob enjoys hunting and fishing, and he also loves to play golf!
Rob came to our church in Dec. of 2007. Rob is originally from South Dakota.
He attended college there, before getting his Master's of Divinity
from Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, KS.
(Central Baptist is an American Baptist Seminary, just as our church is an American Baptist Church.)
Rob finished Seminary in 1991, and while in Seminary he served as Youth Pastor at the FBC in Parsons, KS.
After obtaining his Seminary degree, he served as Associate Pastor at churches in Michigan, South Dakota, and Colorado.
He was the main Pastor in Pueblo, Co for 8 years before coming to Emporia.

Rob married his wife, Cyrele in 1992. She is a Social Worker, and has done hospice work for over 12 years. She is now working for Hand In Hand Hospice in Emporia.
They started a family in 2004. (Better late than never!)
They currently have 3 children in elementary school.


          

         Rob and his family in Colorado in the fall of 2007                                                                  Rob at the bottom of a dog pile!





    Contact Us  You can email us at  emporiafbc@osprey.net

Our phone number is (620) 343-3112

Feel free to stop by the church office. It's located at 807 Constitution,
in 'His Place' (which is the Gym, just North of the old Church Building)


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