State of Ohio

    "The Right to Choose", that freedom is based on the belief that the Gospel of Jesus Christ must be promoted by recognizing the free expression of the gifts of the Spirit as a viable part of the Body of Christ.  The Fellowship is convinced that the choice to exercise these spiritual gifts is imperative for the local New Testament Church to fully function as the dynamic organism God has intended.

 The Holy Spirit first impressed the vision for the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship upon the heart of its Founder, International Presiding Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr., in 1992.  At that time Bishop Morton was experiencing the liberating power of the Holy Spirit at work in the transition of his own Baptist church congregation, Greater St. Stephen Baptist Church.  The Lord made it clear that He intended to use Bishop Morton to bridge the gap between Baptist and Pentecostal traditions not simply on a local level, but nationwide.  Just as the Lord planted the seed that would grow to become the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship within Bishop Morton, He orchestrated the Presiding Bishop's connection with national and international leaders with the same heart and mind.  Along with Bishop Morton, twelve men; Bishop Odis A. Floyd, Bishop Larry D. Trotter, Bishop Carlos L. Malone, Bishop J.D. Wiley, Bishop K.D. Johnson, Bishop Larry D. Leonard, Bishop Kenneth Robinson, Bishop Kenneth Ulmer, Bishop Fred Caldwell, Bishop Robert Blake, Bishop Eddie Long, and Bishop A.R. Williams, would become the Founding Fathers of the movement.  The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship builds upon the traditional Baptist Church as its foundation.  That Baptist heritage is embraced yet balanced with more charismatic influences.  It is the desire of those who have been drawn to this movement to experience every Biblical command and inheritance promised in the Word of God.  Full Gospel Baptist is one of the first Christian Fellowships with such an inclusive nature.  It encompasses the scope of the Pentecostal movement for its spirituality, the Baptist Church for its structure, and the Word Church for its emphasis on the Word of God.  

Baptist Doctrine

• We believe in the Triune God – the Eternally Self-Existent, "I AM", the Creator of heaven and earth and Redeemer of mankind manifested in three persons; Almighty Father, Divine Son and Holy Ghost. (Genesis 1:1, John 5:7, John 1:1, 4:24, Matthew 10:20, II Corinthians 3:17-18).
• We believe in the Bible as the inspired, infallible Word of God, inerrant in the original autographs and the only rule of faith, guide for practice and indisputable and ultimate authority of the Revelation of God, His Will and His Way. (II Timothy 3:16-17, Psalms 19:7-11, 2 Peter 1:16-21).
• We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, the incarnation of the Father, born of a virgin, very God of every God for, and by whom all things were created (I John 1:1-10).
• We believe in the substitutionary atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, that He, by the grace of God tasted death for every man and that all must be born again through faith in Him or are forever lost.  Redemption is accomplished by the cross and blood of our Lord.  Jesus Christ, by grace through faith, believing in the heart that God raised Him from the dead.  Salvation is by Jesus Christ and none other for God has highly exalted Him and given a name, which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, earth and those under the earth.  We further believe that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father.  (Hebrews 2:9, John 3:1-18, John 6:44-49, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 10:9, Philippians 2:9-11).
• We believe in the physical resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and that He ascended bodily into the heaven and is now at the right hand of the Father as our Mediator, High Priest and Advocate. (Acts 3:12-26, John 20, Hebrews 9:24, I Corinthians 15:12-28).
• We believe in water baptism and Holy Communion – The Lord's Supper as the ordinances of the church to be observed as public declaration of salvation through Jesus Christ and the commemoration of His death, burial and resurrection in victory over satan, death, hell and the grave.  (Matthew 3:11,14, 26:26-29, Luke 22:17-23).
• We believe in the personal, visible, imminent return of Jesus Christ both for His Saints and with His Saints in reign to victory. (I Thessalonians 4:13-18, Corinthians 15:50-55, Revelation 19:19-20, 20:1-6).
• We believe in the authority of the believer over the enemy satan and the victory to be gained by the exercise of that authority in the areas of deliverance, healing and holiness. (Ephesians 1:20-23, 6:10-7).
• We believe in the personality and reality of satan as the enemy of the Kingdom of God, Saints of God and of the Lord; and in his ultimate defeat by the Lord Jesus Christ and potential defeat in the lives of spirit filled believers clothed in the Armor of God.  (Revelation 12:9-10, Matthew 4:2-11, Isaiah 14:12-17, John 8).
• We believe in the autonomy of the local church as an independent entity with regard to matters of government, polity operation and discipline. (I Corinthians 5:5, II Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15, Acts 11:22, Titus 1:5).