Our Story

First Baptist Church of Creston, Iowa, began as a Sunday School organized by Mrs. H. M. Way in a schoolhouse on the south side of Creston. One of the first sermons was preached by Reverend Hiram Pearce in the depot building in 1871. Reverend W. P. Pattison organized the church as a Baptist church on October 27, 1872, with 13 members, under the auspices of the American Baptist Home Mission Society. For nearly ten years the church met in the homes of members and in public buildings. In 1880, the church incorporated with a membership of 39.

In 1881 a location on the northeast corner of North Maple and Mills was secured. The first house of worship, a framed structure, was erected in 1882.

On July 2, 1944, the members of First Baptist Church voted to join the fellowship of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches. On September 6, 1961, the church voted to purchase its current property at the northeast corner of Lincoln and Prairie Streets for a new building site. Construction began in spring of 1967. Formal dedication services and a community open house, were held in October of 1968.

A stewardship campaign, “Building Our Faith,” was initiated in November, 2002. On September 21, 2003, the church family participated in a groundbreaking service for a proposed renovation and expansion project. A single-bottom plow was used for the groundbreaking, with the congregation pulling the plow with a 100 foot rope. On October 23rd and 24th, 2004, the renovation/expansion project was dedicated with a community open house and services with missionaries, former pastors and youth pastors participating.

God has wonderfully blessed us as we have sought to serve Him. During the years that First Baptist Church has been proclaiming the gospel, many of our members have entered full-time service in the Lord’s work. All glory and honor is given to Him for what has been accomplished in and through our church.

For nearly 150 years, with all of the changing buildings, locations and leadership, the mission of the church has stayed the same. We want to glorify God by making, maturing, and mobilizing authentic followers of Christ. As we approach our 150 year anniversary, as a church we want to, “Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14).

What do we mean?

Making authentic followers of Christ – This is our commitment to God in sharing the gospel of salvation in Christ with those who don’t know Christ.

Maturing authentic followers of Christ – This is our commitment to New Testament, local church discipleship, helping believers grow in their walk with Christ.

Mobilizing authentic followers of Christ – This is our commitment to the global-spread of the gospel of salvation by supporting missionaries who are serving and by sending out some of our own to serve.

Expositional Preaching

Good expositional preaching strives to reveal the Holy Spirit’s original message to its original audience. In order to accomplish this, we preach through books of the bible verse-by-verse, applying the Holy Spirit’s intended message in relevant and fresh ways that connect to everyday life.

Gospel-Driven

“Gospel-Driven” means more than just evangelism. It means that we trust in the finished work of Christ for both our salvation and for our growth in the Christian life.

Biblical Teaching

At First Baptist Church we value teaching because we want people to know the whole message of the Bible. We want people to understand that doctrine is not just text on a page but the source of all our activity. We teach because what we believe shapes our practices and how we live our lives.

Making Disciples

First Baptist Church wants to be known as a New Testament, disciple-making local church. We wish to accomplish this by becoming a people who love God and love others. We want everyone at First Baptist Church to focus on disciple-making service. Feeding the hungry and helping the poor are great endeavors (and we engage in these things), but they must be done with the end goal of connecting people with God’s message of redemption. We believe the best service to our community is to share the gospel.

A Baptist Church

First Baptist Church enjoys a rich heritage as a Baptist church. That heritage is reflected in our name, our beliefs, and our practices as a church. If you would like to know more about what Baptist churches teach and practice, please contact us.

Global Missions

In light of the “Great Commission” of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20), First Baptist Church is committed to missions endeavors, both home and abroad. We desire to partner with church planting missionaries and support ministry missionaries, who are committed to carrying out the Great Commission. Our Sunday and Wednesday bulletins provide up-to-date information about our missionary partners. If you would like more information about our missionary partners, please plan to stop by the church and contact one of our pastors for a visit.

DAVE TEBBENKAMP

Pastor

David Tebbenkamp joined the pastoral staff at First Baptist Church in January of 2011. After serving sixteen years in youth ministry, David transitioned here, into the role of Senior Pastor. Pastor Dave graduated from Faith Baptist Bible College in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Missions Evangelism. He holds two graduate degrees and completed his Master of Divinity degree in May of 1997. Dave’s passion is the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. With every sermon, his desire is to bring Scriptural truths into clear focus and show how those can be implemented into real life situations. Pastor Dave has completed seven courses of training in biblical counseling with the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors and is planning to complete his certification with NANC in 2013.

David and his wife, Laurie, have been married sixteen years. The Lord has blessed them with two children. Pastor Dave enjoys KU basketball, college football, NASCAR, mountain biking, fishing, wakeboarding, grilling & barbequing, and board games with the family.

Pastor Dave desires to assist the people of First Baptist Church in identifying themselves as an authentic New Testament, Disciple-making local church. He wants the church to be passionate about honoring and glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ, as they seek to carry out the Great Commission (making disciples- Matthew 28:19-20) and the Great Commandment (loving God and loving others – Matthew 22:34-40).

Faith Burkhalter

Church Secretary

Faith Burkhalter was born and raised at First Baptist Church. She assumed the role of church secretary in June of 2021. Through the years, she has served the Lord in many capacities – as pre-primary age Sunday School teacher, primary age Vacation Bible School teacher, AWANA Cubbies director, AWANA Trek leader, as well as various opportunities to minister through music. She loves to find ways to serve others, assisting them with their ministry by completing “behind the scenes” work.

Faith and her husband, Brian, were married in 1998. They were blessed with three children. Faith’s favorite activity is spending time with her family – especially hiking the mountains of Colorade.

Dale Barnett

Church Sound Technician

Dale Barnett has been a longtime member of First Baptist Church. He is a knowledgeable sound operator who is ready to serve you in any way possible. Each week he prepares our service for broadcast, and, upon request, can provide DVD and CD recordings of our services.

Jeanie Saylor

Head Custodian and Music Coordinator

Jeanie Saylor Head Custodian and Music Coordinator jeaniesaylor@gmail.com As a member and employee of First Baptist Church, Jeanie serves the Lord in many different ways enabling our ministries to honor God and run smoothly. As head custodian, she sees to it that our facilities are clean and usable. As music coordinator, she serves as one of our pianists during worship services and leads our children’s choir ministry.

As a teacher, she works with our junior high girls Sunday school class, leads a women’s Bible study, and is the lead teacher in our local homeschooling network. Jeanie also serves as one of our youth leaders in the youth ministry at First Baptist. Jeanie’s desire is to glorify God in all things, enabling others to serve Him more effectively. She enjoys farming with her husband and spending time with her grandchildren.