About First Baptist
First Baptist Church is a vibrant ministry downtown Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, with over 170 years of history. Today, First Baptist continues to reach out into the community while providing quality ministry for all who are a part of the FBC family. Visitors are always welcome -- we do our best to make your visit to FBC a positive experience.
- The Bible as central in its message of God’s redeeming love and as the authority for Christian faith and life.
- Worship as an opportunity and a responsibility in our relationship with God. A diversity of individual and corporate worship styles and the power of individual and corporate prayer is honoured in our community.
- Fellowship as a commitment to support each other across age, ethnicity, gender, abilities, economic and social status.
- Evangelism as a mandate to proclaim the Gospel and to support Mission Outreach through church planting at home and abroad.
- Discipleship as the means of equipping for growth and Christian service individually and as a community of believers. Ministries to children and youth are integral to our discipleship commitment.
- Social Action as a Christ given example of compassion and love.
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We believe:
- There is one true and living God whom we can approach without dependence on a human mediator. He is the creator, preserver and sovereign of the universe. He is inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all honour, confidence and love.
- Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is our Saviour and Lord and He calls us to be His disciples and servants. He is the only means of salvation.
- The Holy Spirit enables people to believe and to grow. The Spirit forms and equips the Church, leading people in their journey of faith.
- The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are divinely inspired and are an all-sufficient guide for faith and practice.
- The Church is the Body of Christ, expressing itself in worship; gathering in fellowship proclaiming the Gospel; serving God through deeds of love and mercy as empowered by the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. We function autonomously and believe in the freedom of individual conscience.
- We are called to a lifestyle of obedience to Jesus Christ, as Lord. This life in Christ is nurtured within a believing community and expressed in daily living.
We are called to practice Believer’s Baptism and to participate in the Lord’s Supper - two Ordinances of the Church. They are symbols of obedience and visible expressions of the Gospel, given to the Church. As we participate in faith and repentance, we open our hearts more fully to God. In baptism, the believer identifies with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As we share in the Lord’s Supper we remember and celebrate the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary and His great love for us. The bread symbolizes His broken body and the cup symbolizes His shed blood, poured out for our salvation.
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Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada
The First Baptist Church, Dartmouth is proud to be associated with the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada which is made up of churches that voluntarily associate together because of their common faith in Jesus Christ. We are committed to the basic Baptist principles which form the basis of our fellowship together as Christians. CBAC is one of several regional bodies in Canada which form an alliance of churches.
Canadian Baptist Ministries
First Baptist Church, Dartmouth is a part of CBM, a global mission organization committed to sharing God’s love through word and deed. CBM believes that God brings healing to a broken world through local churches. With over 140 years of experience, CBM has seen that words and deeds intertwined in Christian community work together to bear witness to God’s transforming grace.
Baptist World Alliance
We also belong to the Baptist World Alliance, a global movement of Baptists sharing a common confession of faith in Jesus Christ bonded together by God’s love to support, encourage and strengthen one another while proclaiming and living the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit before a lost and hurting world.[/tab][tab title="Timeline"]Our congregation has almost 180 years of history behind us! The flyer shown below was inserted in our bulletin on the occasion of our 170th anniversary in the fall of 2013. It shows a very condensed history of First Baptist Church in the form of a timeline.
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The First Baptist Church, DartmouthA Historical Perspective, 1843-2013
For ninety-three years following the founding of Dartmouth, the few Baptists who live here would journey by ferry to worship in the Granville Street Baptist Church in Halifax. Then on May 17, 1843 this small group began meeting as a Baptist Congregation in a cottage on the north corner of King and Queen Streets. The Church was eventually constituted on October 29, 1843 with a membership of eight. A Sunday School began in the home of Richard MacLearn who lived at 113 Ochterloney St. The first Church building was made totally of wood and was about thirty feet square . This building was later moved to the back of the lot for use as a Sunday School room when the second building was erected in 1880, for a sum of $1,990.
On June 26, 1844, First Baptist Church was duly recognized and received into the Association. The membership was eighteen. In 1850 a very historic meeting was held in the home of active Baptists, Mr. & Mrs. Seldon. Women of the Protestant Churches in the area met and from this meeting arose the first women’s society for church enterprises in Canada. All Missionary Societies for women among Protestant Churches in Canada can trace their origins to this meeting. Prior to 1890 all baptisms were held in the harbour, even during the winter. That year a baptistry was built in the Church, which made baptisms more convenient. During this period, a parsonage and a Sunday School were built as well.December 6, 1917 was a day that affected everyone in Dartmouth and Halifax. The “explosion” knocked the area flat, including First Baptist Church. The Sunday School hall was badly damaged but remained standing. It was a devastating blow to a now flourishing congregation, but with new vision and enthusiasm, the Congregation rallied and a new building was completed and dedicated on September 10, 1922. The building was made of “field stone” with metal beams and truss work. The cost was just over $50,000. The first stained glass window was installed in 1933 in memory of William L. Barss.The Church enjoyed a continuous growth in membership. The Sunday School had a wonderful record of attendance, service and accomplishment. The Youth work, Women’s ministries and Men’s League, all contributed to a vibrant congregation, active in witness and service. Mission zeal and giving was strong and contributed to a congregation that had vision for the community and around the world. First Baptist was instrumental in starting a new work in Tufts Cove (Now Bethel Baptist) in 1873. It also was involved in the beginnings of South End Baptist, Stevens Road Baptist, and more recently, the work in Eastern Passage. Many people from this congregation have gone into full time ministry service for our Lord - both here at home and in overseas mission work.Over the years, many changes have taken place within the building from small renovations to large projects. The Christian Education Wing opened on October 20, 1968. The old gym and sanctuary were renovated in the 1970's and 1980's, as well as the installation of most of the stained glass windows.First Baptist has a rich history of service to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom work. Dedicated members and Pastors have served faithfully - laying the foundation for our present ministry. We look with great anticipation into the future as we plan for new facilities at the corner of Woodland and Lancaster Avenues. We pray for the same clarity of vision, the confidence and the boldness of our predecessors. We will continue to serve our Lord and expand His Kingdom, as we faithfully proclaim our witness to He, who is our Saviour and Lord.[/tab][/tabs]