Our Team

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:

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. Support the testimony of my church

Hebrews 10:25, 1 Corinthians 16:12

•By attending faithfully

•By living a godly life

•By giving regularly

  1. Fulfill the Great Commission

Matthew 29:19-20

  1. Follow the Great Commandment

Matthew 22:37-40

  1. 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.

The Early Years

700 School Street

The Chapel Car

1150 W. 9th Street: 1975-2001

2001 to Present

Church Structure

List of Pastors 

Missionaries and mission groups

Bible Camps

Memories and Stories

Letters