About Us

First Baptist Rogers is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The Baptist Faith and Message is a detailed explanation of the biblical beliefs held by Southern Baptists. Our Senior Pastor and Associate Pastors are always available to answer any questions you might have about these statements. This outline of our basic beliefs guides our church by helping to align us with instructions in God's Word, the Bible.

Join us at first connections!

The best way for you to learn more about who we are is to join us for First Connections. This small group setting is a great opportunity for you to meet our Pastor, staff, and learn more about the ministries and mission of First Baptist Rogers. 

First Connections

OUR PASTOR

Dr. Wes George has served as the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Rogers since 2002.  His primary responsibilities are preaching/teaching God’s Word, praying for the church family, and providing overall directional leadership for the church.

Pastor Wes and his wife Lisa have four sons Jonathan, Caleb, Aaron, and Benjamin.  He received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Arkansas, a Master of Divinity, and a Ph. D. in New Testament from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary.

Pastor Wes has served on numerous boards and held various leadership positions on the state and national levels of the Southern Baptist Convention.

He enjoys hunting and sports.

OUR MISSION

The Mission of First Baptist Rogers is to Make Disciples of All the Nations. 

Our mission is our direct response to Matthew 28. Just as Jesus said to His disciples, our desire is to follow that great commission as a church. 

Matthew 28:16-20 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Great Commission

"But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'”

OUR PROCESS

Come | Connect | Grow | Serve | Go

At First Baptist Rogers, our mission is to make disciples of all the nations. With our mission in mind, we prayerfully consider everything we do through our discipleship process: Come, Connect, Grow, Serve, and Go.

  • We believe the first step, and sometimes the hardest is to come to church. If you're here, you've already started that journey. We encourage you to and invite you to join us for worship on Sunday!
  • Once you come to church, we desire to see you connect with the church and its people. The best way to do this is through our First Connections class and our LIFE Groups.
  • Once you have connected with the church, we want you to grow in spiritual maturity through worship, the study of God's Word, and fellowship with the body of Christ. The best way to do this is through LIFE Groups and midweek studies. 
  • The next step in spiritual maturity is to serve the church locally and globally as well as the community and ultimately, the world.
  • This brings us to the final part of our process, for you to go on mission. That can be locally in your life every day, at work, with your family, friends, and neighbors. That can also mean engaging on short-term missions locally, nationally, or globally. 

Within our process, we see the calling of every believer and the outpouring of everything we do as a church. Whether you are wanting to find out more about Jesus and the church, are a new believer or are someone who has been a Christian for most of your life, there is a place for you here.

From the teaching of our pastor, studying the Bible in LIFE Groups, rocking little ones in the preschool ministry, and even to the greeting you receive from guest services, we believe everything centers on God's glory and our obedience to Him.

OUR BELIEFS

GOD

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.

Scriptures for reference: Genesis 1:1, 26-27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14

MAN

Man is made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. He is the supreme object of God´s creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin." This attitude separates man from God.

Scriptures for reference: Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1-2

ETERNITY

Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence.

Scriptures for reference: John 3:16; John 2:25; John 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; 1 John 5:11-12; Matthew 25:31-46

JESUS CHRIST

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory and will return again to earth to reign as King of kings, and Lord of lords.

Scriptures for reference: Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14, 15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13

SALVATION

Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin's penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.

Scriptures for reference: Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1

ETERNAL SECURITY

Because God gives man eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in salvation for eternity. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives this security.

Scriptures for reference: John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10,14; 1 Peter 1:3-5

THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily.

Scriptures for reference: 2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:1

THE BIBLE

The Bible is God's word to all men. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error.

Scriptures for reference: 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5

OUR History

The First Baptist Church of Rogers was organized on March 6, 1883 with twelve members and Reverend John Dunnegan as the first pastor. The first meeting of this new church was held in the home of C.D. Rearick and they continued to meet in various locations, including a vacant store room, until a building was built in 1887. This first building was constructed on land donated by J. Wade Sikes at Second and Cherry Streets in Rogers. The congregation saw periods of growth, but was also impacted by the tumultuous economy of the time. In reflecting upon this period of the church’s history, A.L. Jordan, pastor of First Baptist Rogers at the turn of the twentieth century, stated, “Its growth has been quiet and healthy; its bane has been the unsettled condition of so many of the people.” By the time the congregation sold this building to make room for the construction of a new sanctuary, the membership was around 200.

Original Church Building built in 1887 at Second and Cherry Streets in Rogers. Credit the Rogers Historical Museum

The second sanctuary constructed by the congregation of First Baptist Rogers was designed by architect A.O. Clark and opened for worship on September 1, 1906. This new building contained many stained-glass windows and one reporter claimed “without doubt they are the handsomest set of windows to be seen in Northwest Arkansas.” 

 

          Second church building designed by Architect A.O. Clark and dedicated in 1906

In 1909, A.S. Teasdale presented the church with a beautiful pipe organ and the Governor of Arkansas at that time, Governor Brough, came to Rogers to speak at the formal dedication of the organ.

1909 Sanctuary with Pipe Organ 

In 1922, the church constructed a stucco building adjacent to the sanctuary to be used for Sunday School rooms. In 1945, a south wing was added to this building and then a second floor was added in 1947. 

First Baptist Rogers has always been actively involved in denominational ministry and missions. In the early 1950s, 25% of the church’s budget went to help support the Benton County Baptist Association, the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention. In 1951, the church planted Sunnyside Church which is still active today. 

The church continued to grow and in the 1960’s began to look for a new location to build additional space. The church purchased 10 acres at the intersection of 8th and Olive Streets in Rogers and in 1967 dedicated a new building housing a sanctuary and Sunday School space under the same roof. Shortly after moving to this new location, the sanctuary at Second and Cherry Streets burned to the ground.

The main stained glass window pane from the front of the building was preserved prior to the fire and has been displayed in the new buildings constructed by the church. This stained glass window pane was commissioned by architect A.O. Clark and presents an artist’s understanding of Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

The church continued to expand on the property at Eighth and Olive by adding a youth building in 1975 and a new auditorium in 1979. The final construction project for this property was completed in 1996 and provided additional Sunday School space, a fellowship hall, additional space for students, and a gym. 

First Baptist Rogers continued to grow and at the turn of the millennium, it became apparent a relocation would be necessary to accommodate that growth. The church approved the purchase of 50 acres at Pleasant Grove Road in Rogers in 2004 and in 2005 approved a master plan to relocate to that property. On September 12, 2010, the congregation of First Baptist Church of Rogers held the first service in the new worship center on the Pleasant Grove Campus. Since this relocation, God has continued to bring growth as we seek to make disciples of all nations. Over the past decade, the members of the church have continued to approve additions to the campus to accommodate this growth, including an additional 36,000 square feet of discipleship space which was completed debt free in 2022. Plans are currently in progress for the construction of a new worship center that will double the capacity of the current one. Construction is expected to begin in summer of 2023.

In 2009, the church voted to put the campus at the intersection of 8th and Olive up for sale. However, the Lord had other plans for this facility. A sale never materialized for the property, so the church was replanted as a second campus in Rogers. Today this facility has three services each Sunday in three different languages, houses a branch of Living Well Christian Counseling, provides a weekly community meal for over 100 people, houses a food pantry, and is the training center for the Church Planting Residency program of First Baptist Church of Rogers. God’s plans are definitely greater than ours and we are excited to see what His plans are for us in the future.