Mission Statement

A clearly defined mission is one of the most powerful methods an organization has to create and maintain unity. A mission statement attempts to capture in words what one feels in passion. For Fellowship Bible Church of Batesville, our mission statement not only embodies our purpose for existing, it also describes the kind of atmosphere we seek to create. We believe that we can sum up what God has called us to do in four key words:

† REACH — building bridges of influence to our community
† CONNECT — growing relationships with God and one another
† EQUIP — handing out tools for the spiritual life
† SEND — sending and becoming launchers to the rest of the world

History

The history of Fellowship Bible Church stretches back almost 2,000 years to the founding of the Church. Like those before us, we are grounded in Christ, standing on the foundation of the Apostles, the Church Fathers and the Reformers. Who we are today is largely shaped by those who have gone before us. Our ancient heritage is that of all Christians.

In 1972, the Fellowship Bible Church “movement” began. Dr. Gene Getz, along with several families, launched the first Fellowship Bible Church in North Dallas. A few years later, in 1977, Fellowship Bible Church Little Rock was started. To this day, it has been a thriving church, which now has about 5,000 people in attendance. There are now well over 200 Fellowship Bible Churches worldwide.

In April 2000, a small group of people in Batesville began to feel God’s calling in the following areas:

 
In order to explore these callings more fully and to try to determine God’s will through prayer and worship, the group began to meet together. Sunday morning worship was held in the home of Gary and Stacey Griffith. Wednesday evening prayer and discussion was held in the home of Mike and Susan Middlecamp. On May 24, 2000, “Fellowship Bible Church of Batesville” (FBCB) was agreed upon as the name for the new work.

Seeking guidance, the church was led to Community Bible Church (CBC) in Russellville. CBC, along with Foothills Fellowship Bible Church (FFBC) in Heber Springs, provided guidance to our new church and a steering team was assembled from the three churches. Our church elected three men to be part of the steering team: Mike Middlecamp, Danny James and Gary Griffith. These men, together with men from CBC and FFBC, met together for the first steering team meeting on Sept. 13, 2000, at FFBC in Heber Springs.

The steering team agreed that FBCB would worship three Sundays per month in the Griffith home. By the end of 2000, FBCB had outgrown the Griffith home. On Jan. 7, 2001, the worship service was moved to the Citizens Bank Annex. On May 6, 2001, the first elders of the church, Mike Middlecamp, Danny James and Gary Griffith, were ordained.

In February 2003 a storefront in downtown Batesville was bought, renovated and used for the worship service. On Feb. 11, 2007, with the downtown Batesville location no longer providing sufficient space, Sunday worship was moved to the Batesville Middle School. In 2008 Fellowship Bible Church purchased the historic Landers Theater on Main Street. After extensive repairs and renovation, the church began meeting for worship at the Landers on June 20, 2010.

Throughout this time, God has continued to use Fellowship Bible Church as a life-changing instrument in the community of Batesville. The Lord continues to bless this congregation in both faith and number and we are grateful for His love and guidance.