A Letter From Our Pastor

First and most importantly, we are asking you to use this unique discipleship season in the life of our church to grow in your relationship with Christ. We are asking you to commit to being present each week in worship and Sunday school, to pray daily through the Gospel and Generosity devotional provided in this guidebook, and to talk with your family and friends about what God is doing in your life and heart. We are also asking you to make a sacrificial All In commitment this fall. We are praying that God will grow your love for him, and that one of the expressions of this love will be your financial investment in his Kingdom. Finally, we are asking you to expect great things and to allow your faith to be built. We believe that God will use this season in the life of our church to show us his faithfulness and to allow us to do even more incredible ministry in Jesus’ name  –  together.

We chose this one-fund approach because it allows us to clearly communicate both the vision and strategy of our church for the next two years. Rather than separating giving into different categories or launching multiple special campaigns, All In brings everything together. This means your generosity simultaneously supports community life, missional outreach, and special projects. Our team has worked diligently to identify all that is needed for ministry in this season, and we are excited for you to see how every dollar you give goes toward the everyday ministries of First Baptist Church, disaster relief, church planting, international missions, and strategic investments in our facilities that help us reach Jacksonville with the gospel.

It is not uncommon in the life of our church for us to ask you to give above and beyond for special campaigns, often to fund specific projects such as construction or renovation. What makes this initiative different is that we are asking you to make a two year commitment to fund the entire All In ministry of First Baptist Church. This is not a campaign, but instead, this is a giving initiative where our commitment to you is that—outside of some unforeseen emergency— we will not come back to you unexpectedly asking for additional gifts toward special projects. Instead, we are clearly communicating the All In number needed to fund every aspect of our ministry over the next two years. Your commitment will provide for community life, missional outreach, and special projects as we seek to reach all of Jacksonville with all of Jesus for all of life.

The answer to this question can be seen in two numbers. The first is 17.9%, which represents the growth we have experienced over the past two years in the life of our church. By God’s grace, this means we are fulfilling our mission of reaching Jacksonville, as hundreds of people have joined our church family in membership. The second number is 8.4%, and this reflects the giving constraints we have faced over the past year due to economic challenges. While our ministry is growing, continued growth requires increased generosity rather than financial constraint. Beyond this, we also believe that many in our congregation have not yet experienced the joy and fruit that come from faithfully and regularly giving. As we spend this season preaching, teaching, and looking together at God’s Word, we trust that the Lord will move in the hearts of many to begin giving in obedience to him. We believe this will not only strengthen our ministry but will also deepen our collective love for Christ in this season.

If you are new to First Baptist Church, our greatest desire is for you to consider joining us for one of our upcoming membership classes. God is bringing many people to join the mission of our church, and it would be a joy to have you and your family do the same. You can learn more about membership at fbcjax.com/membership. If you have never given before, we encourage you to take this opportunity to fill out a commitment card and begin giving toward our mission as we seek to reach all of Jacksonville with all of Jesus for all of life. To learn more about giving, visit fbcjax.com/give.

There are multiple ways to give at First Baptist Church. Many choose to give online at fbcjax.com/give, where you can also set up recurring gifts. Others prefer to give during Sunday morning worship services when the offering plate is passed, while some choose to mail a check to: 125 West Ashley Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32202. If you would like to give a unique gift such as stocks, bonds, real estate, or another non-cash gift, we encourage you to contact our Executive Pastor, Coty Hoskins, at cotyh@fbcjax.com.

No. Every time you give to First Baptist Church, you are supporting the ongoing ministries of our church—such as preaching, teaching, worship, counseling, and next-generation ministries— as well as much more. In addition, every dollar given helps fund disaster relief, church planting in Florida and across the United States, and international missions where Christ is being made known. Your All In commitment will continue to provide for these types of ministries over the next two years.

If you are facing a financial hardship—such as loss of a job, debt, or financial stress—our primary desire is that you would allow our church to come alongside you in this season. In January, at both campuses, we will be offering a midweek class focused on personal finance. This class will provide biblical teaching and practical principles to help you navigate financial difficulty. In addition, one of the ways our church cares for those in hardship is by confidentially partnering them with another member who can walk alongside them and offer support. To learn more about the upcoming class, visit fbcjax.com/midweek. If you would like someone to walk with you in this season, please contact our Pastoral Care Team at pastoralcare@fbcjax.com.

We encourage every parent to use this unique season of discipleship around giving to help their kids grow in generosity as well. First, talk with your children about giving. In today’s world, where many gifts are made online, kids may not even be aware that their parents give to the church. Creating open conversations and bringing your children “into the know” helps them understand the importance of generosity. Second, consider giving your kids opportunities to participate. This could include giving them an allowance for helping around the house and
encouraging them to give at least 10% to the church or guiding them to give sacrificially by selling something or giving up something meaningful. Our prayer is that during this season, our whole church—including kids and students—will grow in their love for Jesus and experience the joy of giving.

The Commitment Card is designed both to help you and to help our church. For you, it serves as a prayerful tool to consider what sacrificial generosity looks like in this season of your life in response to God’s Word and the ministry needs of First Baptist Church. It allows you to reflect on what has been true, what needs to be true, and provides a measure of accountability as you follow through on your commitment. For our church, it is an important resource in the budgeting process, helping us plan wisely and faithfully steward the resources entrusted to us. The Commitment Card is not a legally binding document; rather, it is a tool for spiritual growth and practical planning. To assist you in filling it out, in early November, we will send you a record of your giving over the past few years. Having these totals will help you prayerfully consider what you have been doing and what you and your family will do in this next season.

We have designed the Commitment Card to be simple and clear as you prayerfully consider your sacrificial, generous gift for this upcoming season. On the card, you will first write down your current giving, which may include regular giving, as well as special gifts such as those for Lottie Moon, First Coast Women’s Services, student camp, or other ministry efforts. After writing that number, we are asking you to prayerfully consider an increase in your giving. That new total will then be multiplied by two to reflect your two-year commitment. We also ask you to consider an additional gift from a stored resource—such as stock, real estate, savings, or the sale of an item. Adding this amount to your two-year commitment will give the total you and your family plan to give. At our Nocatee campus, there will also be a line on the card for members to include any remaining pledge to the Grow campaign as part of their All In commitment.

In our guidebook (see page 58), you can find more detailed information about the accountability and oversight structures in place at First Baptist Church . In short, every dollar received and spent is reviewed by a group of lay leaders from our church. Additionally, each year our church undergoes a third-party independent audit to ensure that all funds are handled faithfully, legally, and above board.