PURPOSE STATEMENT: 
Answers “Why are we here?”

We are a people called to glorify God through the grace of Jesus Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit: winning the lost and growing God’s kingdom.

MISSION STATEMENT:
Answers the question, “What are we to do?” 
First Baptist church seeks to assist as many people as possible to become full functioning members of Christ’s body.

VISION STATEMENT:
Answers the question “What would we like to be?”
 We, the body of Christ at First Baptist Church in Mascoutah, want to be:
- A place where every age group and family unit can worship in a manner that is expressive and God honoring
- A place where the Bible is taught with conviction and seen lived out in the lives of the membership.
- A place where prayer is so infused into its very fabric that nothing takes place that has not been birthed in prayer and bathed in prayer from its inception to its completion.
- A place where the gospel message permeates every aspect and ministry function so that all may hear and have the opportunity to receive the grace of God unto salvation.
- In a word, we want to be a vibrant ministering community where complete families worship the Lord and grow in a personal relationship with Him and the body of Christ – the church.

MISSION STRATEGY:
Strategic Planning - Answers the quest, “How will we fulfill our purpose and mission so as to accomplish our vision?”
 To accomplish the purpose and mission of this church in moving toward our vision we will incorporate into one body:
- God honoring Worship
- Bible Focused Discipleship
- Spirit Inspired Prayer
- Relationship building Fellowship
- Gospel Driven Evangelism

FBCM Core Values
1. Scriptures: We believe the Bible, both Old Testament and New Testament to be God's full, inerrant, & infallible revelation to man. 2 Tim 3: 15-17, Heb 1: 1-2, 2 Pet 1 :21

2. God: We believe in one God in trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Mat 28:19,2 Cor 13:14, John 14:16, 1 John 5:7

3. Lordship of Christ: We acknowledge Christ, the Only begotten Son of God incarnate in the flesh, to be the head of our church and submit ourselves and all our activities to His will and good pleasure. Eph 1:22-23, Eph 4:15-16, Rom 8:29, Col 3:8­13, Eph 4:22-5:4, Rom 12:1-2

4. Worship: We acknowledge God's supreme value and worth in our personal and corporate worship. We believe worship takes place when we come to recognize God's presence, present ourselves humbly to Him and respond to what He says or shows to us. We may worship through music, the reading of God's word, baptism & the Lord's Supper, preaching of God's word, giving, standing quietly before our God or in numerous other ways. John 4:20-24, Rom 12:1-2, Rev 4:10-11.

5. Salvation: God, who is love, has extended his hand of salvation to all persons. It is a free gift to be received by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Eph 2:8-9, Rom 6:23.

6. Prayer: We acknowledge our need for the power and guidance which is available to us through prayer. We rely on private and corporate prayer in the conception, planning, and execution of all ministries and activities of this church. Matt 6:9-15,1 Thess 5:17,1, Tim 2:1-4, 1 Tim 2:8, Jam 5:14

7. Missions/Evangelism: We believe that God has a plan to reach the world with the gospel. We are to obey the great commission and go into our world with the message of hope. We also believe that when we unit together with other churches, whether it be in personal cooperation, associations, or state and national conventions, we are able to be even more effective. We support the Cooperative Program as a method for performing missions. Matt 28:18-19, Acts 1:8, Mar 16:15-16, 2 Cor 5:18-19

8. Giving: God's method of supporting the work of the church is through the liberal giving of its members. Tithes and offerings are a part of our spiritual disciplines and are expected to be a part of every member's service. Prov 11 :24-26, Mal 3:7-10 Matt 6:1-4, 1 Cor 16:1-2,2 Cor 9:6-7

9. Discipleship: Children of God need to be taught the Word and ways of God and apply them in our daily lives and service to God. Matt 28:20, 2 Tim 2: 15

10. Family: We support the spiritual growth of individual families as one means by which God perpetuates' the Christian Faith. Furthermore, we believe that God has ordained the structure for a godly home. Eph 5:22-6:4, CoI3:18-21

11. Fellowship: Believing that fellowship among believers is a necessary part of our Christian walk we encourage faithful attendance to all church services. Heb 10:25

12. People: Believing human beings are made in the image of God, we hold the sanctity of human life and the intrinsic worth of all people. Gen 1 :26-27, Gen 2:7, Ps 139:14-16