Proclaiming the Lord Until He Returns

our mission

Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth.

                                                            - Hosea 6:3

The purpose of First Baptist Church of Monterey is to glorify God by knowing Him and leading everyone to salvation and maturity in His son, Jesus Christ, through the truth of the Word of God by the gracious work of the Holy Spirit.

Our mission, as expressed by Pastor Nathan Rehn, May 1, 2009

I see First Baptist Church of Monterey as a group of people who are in love with God.  We are able to love, because he has first loved us in Jesus Christ our savior.  We are obsessed with God and desire to know him, enjoy him, worship him and serve him.  We want everyone to be rightly related to God.

Q. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.  (Westminster Shorter Catechism)

This proper obsession displays itself and is facilitated through worship in four forms. These four are interdependent, and nonexclusive.  

Public worship:

We should strive to enjoy our God through artistic expression and proclamation.

Public worship facilitates the range of expression from solemn reverence to jubilant praise.   Eph. 5:18-21, Psalm 100:2

Training:

We desire to equip every believer to do the work of the ministry. Eph. 4:12                 

From our nursery to our pulpit all of our teaching and preaching is designed to fully pursue the knowledge of God through deep interaction with his revelation, and to encourage obedience.  We worship God by rightly handling his word and teaching the full counsel of God.  We desire to equip individuals and families to demonstrate their faith in their daily lives, walking in holiness and grace.  Col. 1:28, 29; 2 Tim. 2:15; Acts 20:27

Loving:

We seek to worship God by sincerely loving each other.

Love is the hallmark of the Christian faith.  We desire to love all the people who are a part of our fellowship by knowing them, serving them, and appreciating their God created uniqueness. 1 John 4:7-11

Serving:

We seek to worship God through faithful service:  to the church, to those in our neighborhoods, to people outside our culture, and to all around the world.  We serve humanity best when we introduce people to the living God.  Galatians 5:13; John 13:13-17