First Baptist Church of Waco
Information about First Baptist Church of Waco
This congregation has close connections with Baylor University and with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The congregation is relatively diverse politically, socio-economically, and theologically. The main services of the church are conducted in English, but the church also comprises a Hispanic congregation (led by Israel Loachamin) and hosts Buffalo River Native American Church and the Korean Church of Waco. Senior pastor Matt Snowden has been at the church for ten years. The church has a strong and stable lay leadership and a history of partnering with other congregations for ministry both locally and in other parts of the city, country, and world.
Information about FBC Waco's Congregational Project
First Baptist Church of Waco wanted to equip believers at significant transition points in their lives to recognize their Christian vocation and practice resilient ministry through the nurture of “soul culture.” The idea of soul culture is borrowed from J. B. Gambrell’s essay, “Working a Batch of Dough.” Formative elements of soul culture include beliefs, attitudes, values, goals, and practices.
First Baptist Waco held a series of deliberately intergenerational seminars, readings, and small group discussions to synthesize ideas about soul culture, and the book Soul Culture, published in 2023, grew out of these discussions.
For a Baptist Standard article about the congregational project, click here. For a video that includes a discussion of the project at First Baptist Waco, click here. Also check out Pastor Matt Snowden's talk in this video.
