About us

Mission and Vision

As a church, we believe that every follower of Jesus should have a regular routine of corporate Worship, Bible Study, Fellowship, and Service. This is summarized in our motto: "Knowing, Loving, Serving Christ... Together."

We are a church with a 5-pointed vision that we hope will help us reach our surrounding community. First Baptist strives to be a "Church at the Heart of the City" known for our Neighborhood Focus, Relational Discipleship, Radical Hospitality, connection with Young Adults, and enthusiasm for Fresh Expressions of Church. To learn more about what that means, we invite you to continue to explore our website and contact us with questions.

Our Beliefs

We believe in the One God Who exists eternally in Three Persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe in Jesus, the perfect incarnation of God the Son, Who died taking upon Himself our sins, rose again on the third day, and will come again.

We believe all humans are created in the image of God and deeply loved by our Creator. Yet, because of our sinful choices, we are in need of a Savior.

We believe Jesus is that Savior—the Savior of all who will turn from their sin and follow Him.

We believe in the power of God’s Holy Spirit to teach, comfort, enable and transform us.

We believe in the Bible as the trustworthy authority for what we believe and practice.

We believe in the Church as the body of Christ in the world.

We believe in our calling to meet human needs and to encourage others to follow Jesus, both in our community and around the world.

We believe our decisions in this life have eternal consequences.

We further believe that our hope for Heaven comes through faith in Jesus, not our own goodness.

We believe we are to be good stewards of our God-given resources, from our talents to our finances to our planet.

We believe in grace as the heart of the Christian faith.

We also affirm the 1963 version of the Baptist Faith & Message. Neither that nor the above is an all-inclusive statement of our beliefs. To view a more comprehensive summary of our beliefs, a copy of the Baptist Faith & Message, and helpful information about what we believe about sexuality, women in ministry, and racial unity follow the link below.

Deeper Beliefs

our MiniSters:

Travis

Collins

Travis has been Senior Pastor of FBC, Huntsville since the spring of 2016. He served as a missionary in Nigeria and Venezuela. He and his wife, Keri, have three children and a growing number of grandchildren.

Senior Pastor

Jud

Reasons

Jud has been at FBC since August of 2006. Working with our staff and many committees at FBC, Jud finds himself in many meetings. A native of Nashville, Jud is a graduate of Mississippi College and Southern Seminary. His wife Anne is an elementary music educator, and they have two adult children, Blake (married to Sarah) and Kyle (married to Kendall).

Executive Pastor

Billy

Orton

Billy has been at FBC since 1998 and leads a growing program of music and worship ministries that encompasses choirs for all ages, ensembles, bands, an orchestra, handbells, an artists series and various specialized music ministries such as masterclasses and concerts. His wife, Jane, is a social worker and therapist. Billy and Jane have two adult children, and three grandsons.

Minister of Music & Worship

Travis Collins

Senior Pastor

travis@fbchsv.org

Jud Reasons

Executive Pastor

jud@fbchsv.org

Billy Orton

Minister of Music & Worship

billy@fbchsv.org

Esther

Kim

Esther has been with FBC since August of 2017. She received her D.M.A. in Organ Performance from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. Esther and Hans are the proud parents of Diane and Joy.

Associate Minister of Music

Holly

Canup

An active member of FBC for 20 years, Holly came on staff in November 2016. She has a Social Work degree from Ole Miss and a Masters from Alabama. She and her husband, Dow have 3 teenage sons.

Minister to Median Adults

Allan
Greer

Minister to Experienced Adults

Esther
Kim

Associate Minister of Music

Holly Canup

Minister to Median Adults (Age 40-59)

holly@fbchsv.org

Allan Greer

Minister to Exp. Adults (Age 60+)

allan@fbchsv.org

Esther Kim

Associate Minister of Music

esther.kim@fbchsv.org

John
Lemons

John came to FBC in September of 2016 to serve as Minister to Young Adults. Prior to Huntsville, John lived and served in Chattanooga for 11 years and Birmingham for 4 years. He and his wife, Emily, have been married since 2002 and they are the proud parents of 2 wonderful daughters.

See more from John at www.johnwlemons.com

Minister to Young Adults

John Lemons

Minister to Young Adults (Age 18-39)

john@fbchsv.org

Jamie Mackey

Jamie

Mackey

Effective student ministry rooted in the church should help students to grasp and understand faith as both something they own for themselves and something to be shared with others. Jamie loves that his calling is to minister to and journey with students and their families through adolescence.

Minister to Students

Minister to Students (7th -12th Grade)

jamie@fbchsv.org

Shelley

Mills

Shelley joined FBC in August of 2020. She has degrees in Christian Leadership and Christian Education, and has served as a children’s minister, second grade teacher, and weekday education program director. Shelley is originally from East Tennessee and when she isn’t chasing children around she loves to be exploring the outdoors with her pups.

Associate Minister to Kids & Families

Shelley Mills

Associate Minister to Kids & Families

shelley@fbchsv.org

Kristin

Prasad

Kristin joined our staff in January 2019 and brings years of experience and expertise to our Children's Ministry. Kristin and her husband Raj came to us from Richmond, VA. They have three adult children.

Minister to Kids & Families

Kristin Prasad

Minister to Kids & Families

kristin.prasad@fbchsv.org

Ministerial Leadership Support:

Debbie
Bell

Our business administrator since 1991, Debbie oversees the maintenance and use of the building. She works together with our trustees to provide a safe and well maintained facility for worship and fellowship. She also oversees the financial, food services, and network administration involved in church life. Debbie is a Huntsville native and graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a degree in Business Administration.

Business Administrator

Debbie Bell

Business Administrator

debbieb@fbchsv.org

Brian
Temple

Brian joined us after a nearly 30 year career in broadcasting. As a member of FBC for more than ten years, he's has been involved in the audio/visual ministry almost since he walked in the door. Brian is the middle member of three generations of Temples at FBC - his daughter is Morgan, and his mother is Susan. He's married to his very understanding wife Kara, where they share their home with Bamboo the Wonder Dog and several spoiled parrots.

Media Director

Brian Temple

Media Director

mediadirector@fbchsv.org

Our Ministry Resident:

Ethan
McVay

Ethan joined as the Youth Ministry Resident in August of 2021. He grew up in lower Alabama before graduating from the University of Alabama and Samford University. Ethan is married to Caroline and they enjoy being outdoors or sipping a good cup of coffee.

Ministry Resident to Students