Our Team
Leonard Browning
Pastor Len is a native Coloradoan and has lived in Craig for most of his life. He and Cheryle have been married since 1976. The story of their marriage at a very young age is part of God’s story and their story of faith. After spending most of his adult life in a successful sales career, and serving as an unofficial interim during several pastoral search processes (most recently in 2005), Len accepted the opportunity to lead the Journey in 2006. Len has been a part of the leadership at the Journey for more than 25 years and the Lead Pastor since 2006. He has a passion for people to know God through His Son, Jesus Christ, and to grow in relationship with Him through preaching/teaching, fellowship and service; living life together. When not playing with one or more of his 15 grandchildren (he calls it rescuing them from his 5 children and their spouses), you may find Len skiing, camping or catching less fish than the rest of his family somewhere in the mountains. Len has traveled to Israel, Mexico, Belize and Haiti for the church and he and Cheryle enjoy traveling and touring the major cities of the US. Len would love to begin to get to know you via phone/text or email. pastorlen@craigjc.org or 970-756-5926
Gary Tague
Gary grew up in Gunnison, Colorado and is a retired high school teacher and coach who served in the Moffat County School District for more than 30 years. He has served as an Elder for most of the last 20 years and fulfills the part-time role of Pastor of Discipleship at the Journey. Gary and his wife Mary have 4 grown children, 3 of whom who ran away from home, never to return, and a married daughter who lives in Craig and serves at the Journey in a variety of children and youth ministries. They enjoy traveling the country and 4-wheeling in western Colorado and at least one annual adventure at Disneyland as well as checking in on their children in Texas and Washington. Gary loves to see people of all ages grow up in their faith by serving our teachers and their students through our discipleship ministries; Sunday School, Growth Groups and AWANA. He can be contacted by phone or email. gltague@yahoo.com or 970-756-2619
Paul Prestrud
Paul was born in Kremmling and spent his childhood years in Silverthorne, both in NW Colorado. He is a long- time Pastor who led churches in Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming. Currently serving as an Elder at the Journey, he leads one of our Adult Sunday school classes as well as pastoring and “marrying and burying” people, mostly in Wyoming. Paul and his wife, Raelynne, have 3 children and 3 grandchildren who all live together in a “make-shift” boarding home in Baggs, Wyoming. Paul’s parents live with Paul’s sister and brother-in-law in Craig and all the family attends and serves at the Journey. Paul is the Director of Maintenance and Head Basketball Coach for the Little Snake River Valley School District (Rattlers) in Baggs. His teams are always competitive and often contenders for the State Championship title. He can be found fishing or cooking “milk can suppers” after the snow clears in Snake River Valley or occasionally in the Yampa River Valley. Paul loves Jesus and helping others know Him and grow in Him. Contact Paul at paulrp54@gmail.com or 307-320-8476
Vision Statement
The Journey is a Loving Community of Christ Followers; Striving to Engage, Embrace and Equip People in the Faith.
The five pillars of our vision are…..
• Worship (Romans 12:1-2)
• Fellowship (Acts 2:42)
• Discipleship (Acts 2:42)
• Stewardship (1 Peters 4:10)
• Mission (Acts 17:26)
Check out this video about who we are as a church.
The Word of God
We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that they have supreme authority in all matter of faith and conduct.
(John 17:17; Romans 15:4; II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21)
The Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.
(Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-4; I John 5:7)
God the Father
We believe in God the Father, a perfect, infinite, personal spirit. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the lives of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.
(John 3:16-17; 4:24;17:5)
Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth
(Isaiah 7:14; John 1:14; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:2, 3; I John 1:7)
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and regenerates, sanctifies, and empowers all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.
(John 14:26; 16:7-15: Romans 8:14-17; Ephesians 1:13-14)
Salvation
We believe that all men are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that the Holy Spirit regenerates those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior.
(John 1:12-13; 3:3, 16-17; Acts 20:21; Ephesians 2:1-9; Titus 3:5)
The Church
We believe that the universal church is a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe that the local church is a company of believers who have been baptized by immersion upon a credible statement of faith.
(Matthew 28:19-20; 16:18; Acts 2:38-41; Ephesians 2:19-22; 5:25-27)
Church Covenant
As a member of The Journey, I commit myself to God and to the other members to:
- Protect the unity of my church
Romans 14:19, 1 Peter 1:22, Ephesians 4:29
•By acting in love toward other members
•By refusing to gossip
•By following the leaders as they follow Christ
- Share in the responsibility of my church
Romans 15:7, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2
•By praying for its growth
•By inviting the unchurched to attend
•By warmly welcoming those who visit
- Serve the ministry of my church
1 Peter 4:10, Ephesians 4:11-12
•By discovering my gifts and talents
•By being equipped to serve by my church
•By developing a servant’s heart
- Support the testimony of my church
Hebrews 10:25, 1 Corinthians 16:12
•By attending faithfully
•By living a godly life
•By giving regularly
- Fulfill the Great Commission
Matthew 29:19-20
- Follow the Great Commandment
Matthew 22:37-40
- Reconciliation and Restoration
Matthew 5:24, 6:14-15
•Ask for forgiveness when I have offended another
•Grant forgiveness when it is asked of me
The Journey at First Baptist is affiliated with Converge Rocky Mountain (part of Converge Worldwide). Converge is a strategic network of churches focused on transforming lives and communities with the hope of the gospel. As a movement of churches, we are empowered by God to Equip our people, Engage our cultures and Expand our redemptive impact by launching new churches.
All Converge congregations share a common core of doctrine that unites Christians across the world, and throughout history. We at The Journey are delighted to serve Christ in Craig, Colorado and we are excited to see the Lord glorified as His kingdom grows here.
More information can be found at www.convergerockymountain.org and www.converge.org.
The Early Years
The beginnings of First Baptist Church are hard to pinpoint exactly, but some facts basic to its establishment tell us that sometime in 1904, Levi Johnson moved to Craig, and in February 1905, his wife and children joined him. They homesteaded at Illinois Park, at the foot of Black Mountain near Craig. Rev W.C. Lindsey, a Baptist minister from Missouri, moved to Northwest Colorado in 1909. He filed on a homestead near Cedar Mountain. Ernest Kline became his neighbor in 1910, when he established his homestead also near Cedar Mountain. Ernest Kline and Amy Johnson were both from Methodist backgrounds, but since there was no Methodist church, they decided to work with Mr. Johnson and Mr. Lindsey to organize a Baptist church. Northern Baptist Missionary, Bertha Smith, was sent to help organize the church.
The small group of believers met on April 9, 1911 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. Brother Lindsey was asked to act as Pastor till other arrangements could be made, and he kindly accepted, without salary. It was then voted that the regular time for church meeting be on the first Sunday of each month. A committee was appointed to arrange the meeting place. Soon after, a building was rented for one dollar a meeting.
In the next few years, the church met in several different places.
700 School Street
The church building at 700 School Street was the meeting place for the church from 1925 to 1975. It underwent 2 additions, the first in the 1940’s while pastor Roy Walker was here. The second was made in 1953 when Aubrey Nelson was serving his first term as Pastor. Plans were drawn up for a third addition, but the membership felt that as the town was beginning to grow, land should be found and a new building constructed. The last service at 700 School was a Watch Night Service on Dec 31, 1974.
1150 West 9th Street
In 1973, a 5-acre parcel was purchased between 9th and 10th Streets on the West side of town. At the time of the purchase there were no other buildings around, but within a very few years, the Colorado Ute Power Plant began construction and the building boom was on. The little town of Craig grew in all directions, and by 1980, houses were built on all sides of the church property and a beautiful new High School was built a little more than a block away. In the spring of 1974 ground was broken for a new building, which was completed shortly before the end of the year. On the first Sunday of 1975, First Baptist Church moved into the new building at 1150 West 9th Street.
By late 2007, it was obvious that we were experiencing rapid growth, and that our facility was getting very crowded. We started praying about a solution, and implemented a second worship service. Rental of community facilities became more frequent as we looked for ways to accommodate our growing body. After many months of prayer and planning, we voted to go forward with a building program. Partnering with Building God’s Way and Mischler Construction, ground was broken in June of 2009. During the year of Ministry of Construction, God made his presence known over and over, as meals were provided for construction workers and staff, huge amounts of materials and labor were donated, and the building rose up in a matter of months.
The First Celebration Service was held in the new Sanctuary on February 14th, 2010, and in May, the new Sanctuary was dedicated to the Lord. The Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the doors and there was an open house to welcome the community. In 2011, we celebrated our 100 year anniversary as a church!
A more in-depth account of our early officers, members, remembrances, and short stories meaningful to the history of our church can be found in the links below.