Morgans Baptist Church of Smith Mountain Lake, VA.

"Being confident of this very thing, that He
which hath begun a good work in you will 
perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Philippians 1:6

The Apostle Paul declared, "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:14). Similarly, Morgans Baptist  is pressing on to a new level of ministry. A Vision Statement reads: "Our purpose is to exalt Christ by worshipping Him, teaching His Word, expressing His love and proclaiming His good news." Primarily, Morgans Baptist ministry is twofold: 1) to lead the unsaved person to Christ, and 2) to disciple believers in Christ into a faithful walk with the Lord. 
Since 1771, Morgans Baptist has provided a ministry, to the surrounding community-at-large. We express thanksgiving and praise to our Lord for His faithfulness to us. Standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, we now turn our attention to the above goals and vision, we seek to meet the changing needs of our church body in particular and the needs of the surrounding community-at-large. We do this by being Biblically focused in our ministry. Our desire is to see Morgans Baptist become a training and discipling center for believers in Christ. I trust that you will "catch the vision" and enthusiastically participate in accomplishing these goals. 
In order to accomplish this mission, we are COMMITTED to the following principles: 
* To pray for wisdom to reach the unsaved and to faithfully train those who are believers in Christ. 
* To proclaim faithfully the Word of God, presenting it as the inspired, authoritative revelation which provides relevant and practical answers to man's needs. 
* To involve every believer in an active ministry designed to meet the needs of our local assembly in a loving and caring manner. 
* To practice an excellence in our ministry and worship which brings glory to the Lord in all things. 
* To encourage growth in our local assembly both spiritually and numerically so that the body is being built up on a regular and ongoing basis. We look forward to working together with you...
(II Cor. 6:1)

Articles of Faith

 
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God consisting of the sixty-six (66) books of the Old and New Testaments, is verbally inspired of God and inerrant in the original writings and that it is the supreme and final authority in faith and life. 
We believe that there is one only Living and True God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. 
We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man, and as such He lived a perfect and sinless life. 
We believe that man was created in the image and after the likeness of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also that spiritual death which is separation from God; and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature which is enmity against God, and in the case of those who reach moral responsibility, become sinners in thought, word and deed. 
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; and that all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood and righteousness. 
We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into Heaven, and in His present life there for us, as High Priest, Advocate, and the only Mediator between God and man. 
We believe the personal and bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ to set up His Kingdom upon the earth, to reign in righteousness and justice. 
We believe that salvation is by grace through faith, and that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God and that the Holy Spirit indwells all believers. 
We believe there are two ordinances, Baptism and the Lord's Supper, which are to be practiced by all Christians. 
We believe the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting hope of the saved, and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost.

History

Morgans Baptist Church began the first week of May 1771, by 24 people, making us the oldest church still in existence in Bedford County. In fact, this makes us the 16^th oldest Baptist church in Virginia. Through the years, many things have happened in the life of our church. Our first pastor, Nathaniel Shrewsbury, was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. Originally, we were known a Goose Creek Church, but in April of 1881, the name was permanently changed to Morgans Baptist Church, honoring the family to gave us the land were we are presently located. We also have the distinction of being a "Pioneer" church, having sent messengers to the organizational meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, in 1823.

During our rich history, we have had 36 pastors during this time. We've also had many interim pastors and we've had the distinct privilege to ordain many men to full-time gospel ministry. In addition, our church started at least 4 churches in our area.

God has certainly blessed this church for nearly 230 years! We look forward with great anticipation to what He will do next in the life of Morgans Baptist Church.