FBCD Statement on January 6

Read a statement from our Senior Pastor by clicking the button below

Our First Baptist Decatur Staff Acknowledges –

We Baptists continually balance two bedrock convictions: first, that our faith and our nation are both stronger when there is a clear separation of church and state, and second, that our faith compels us to engage and invest in the political system that governs us. 

Wednesday, on the steps of our capitol, we watched in shock as both of those convictions were stretched to a breaking point. We watched as our fellow Americans chose darkness over light, myth over truth, chaos over peace, and hate over love. And, more grievously, we watched people make this trade often carrying banners heralding their faith in Christ.

We, as clergy of First Baptist Church of Decatur, want to make it clear that the actions we witnessed at our capitol Wednesday are wrong. They do not testify to the God that we see in the pages of our Bible, nor do they honor that God.

The God that we confess to believe in—the God that we see at work in our holy Scripture and in our world—is a God who relentlessly pursues reconciliation, who speaks truth to power with transformative peace, who calls us to love so radically that darkness and hate are driven away. Because this understanding of God informs our faith, we denounce the god of chaos, violence, division, and fear that some chose to put on display at our capitol on Wednesday. 

Here at First Baptist Decatur, we have an impressive spectrum of opinions and ideas gathering together in worship as one body of Christ. We treasure this aspect of our congregation because we are committed to the belief that we are all stronger witnesses to our faith, and more faithful in our own personal walks, when we dialogue with one another with an openness to learn and when we encounter opinions different than our own.

Our collective worship is a testament to our belief that the body of Christ is diverse and beautiful. We know that there is a myriad of opinions concerning recent political events that coexist in our church body. We are grateful for the freedom to possess and express those different opinions inside our church and we are committed to learning from one another. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum after recent events, we love and embrace you here. We hope this truth is never in question. What we do not embrace is riotous and insurrectionist acts carried out in God’s name in our nations’ capitol. 

Today, we, as the Body of Christ at First Baptist of Decatur, will choose love over fear. We will choose peace over chaos. We will choose truth over lies. We will walk away from a version of a god that accepts and encourages such sins and walk toward a God who seeks to reconcile our hearts to God’s, and our hearts to our fellow Americans.

Sincerely and with Christian Hope,

Our First Baptist Decatur Pastoral Staff and Executive Ministry Team
Kristen Koger, Pastor for Children and Their Families
Kelsey Lewis Vincent, Pastor for Youth and Their Families
Paul Wallace, Interim Pastor for Adult Education
Shelley Hasty Woodruff, Interim Pastor for Community Engagement
Greg Smith, Executive Director, Legacy Ministry and Pastor for Pastoral Care
Mark Green, Pastor for Senior Adults
Kathryn Hartgrove, Director of Worship and Arts
Dilshad Premji, Director of Administration and Accounting
Randall Hampton, Fresh Start Worship Coordinator
David Jordan, Senior Pastor