About Us
We're a welcoming church family rooted in faith, community, and service.
Bible Fellowship: Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
Worship: Sundays at 10:30 a.m.
A Rich History. A Hopeful Future.
Since 1852, First Baptist Church of Monroe has been a place to seek God, follow Christ, care for one another, and serve our community.
As a Cooperative Baptist congregation, we learn, worship, serve, and make decisions together. There is room here to ask questions, build relationships, and discover where your gifts may fit.
We are grateful for where we have been and hopeful about where God is leading us.
You do not have to arrive with everything figured out. Bring your questions, your experiences, your hopes, and simply who you are.
There is room for you here.
Growing Together. Serving Together.
At First Baptist, you’ll find opportunities to learn, worship, serve, and build relationships at every stage of life.
Our ministry also reaches beyond our own congregation. We work alongside the Union Baptist Association in local ministry and missions, and we partner with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina and the national Cooperative Baptist Fellowship to support ministry both near and far.
How we try to live
Love God
We want to know God more deeply and follow where God leads. Through prayer, worship, and learning, we grow in faith together and share the hope we have found in Christ.
Love Within
Church should feel like a place where you are known and cared for. We show up for one another in hard seasons, celebrate the good ones, and make room for real relationships to grow.
Love Beyond
Our faith sends us outward into the community around us. We serve our neighbors, support local needs, and look for practical ways to bring hope, kindness, and light throughout Monroe.
What to expect
Every Sunday we gather for Bible Fellowship classes at 9:30 a.m. The weekly Worship service begins at 10:30 a.m.
Come as you are. You’ll see everything from casual clothes to Sunday best, so wear what feels comfortable to you. We care much more about welcoming you than what you’re wearing.
Worship at First Baptist is thoughtful, warm, and rooted in both scripture and everyday life. You’ll hear familiar hymns alongside newer music, with space to pray, reflect, learn, and worship together.
No. You are welcome to come in, find a seat, and simply experience worship with us. There is no pressure to introduce yourself or participate in anything before you are ready. When you do want to connect, we’ll be glad to help.
Yes. Sunday worship is livestreamed right here, so you can join us from home when you cannot be with us in person.
Not at all. First Baptist is a Cooperative Baptist congregation, but you do not have to come from a Baptist background to worship with us. People from different traditions and experiences are welcome to come, ask questions, learn, and be part of the community.
Families and kids
Bible Fellowship meets from 9:30–10:30 a.m. Preschool children meet in Room 203, and elementary-age children meet in Room 204. Both classrooms are on the second floor of the Education Building.
Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. Nursery care for infants is available throughout worship on the ground floor of the Family Life Center. Children age 4 through second grade may participate in Children’s Worship & Wonder, while children in second grade and older are encouraged to remain in worship with their families.
You can call the church office at 704.283.8534 or reach out via email from this site.
Our beliefs
We believe you can know God directly and take responsibility for your own faith. No one else has to stand between you and God. That freedom also comes with a calling: to care for others, serve where you can, and help one another grow in faith. At First Baptist, ministry belongs to all of us.
We believe the Bible is at the heart of our life together and helps us understand who God is and how we are called to live. We also believe you should be free to read Scripture thoughtfully, ask honest questions, and seek understanding with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the example of Christ.
We believe faith should never be forced. You should be free to follow God according to your conscience, and others should have that same freedom. We value both religious freedom and the separation of church and state, so that faith can be practiced freely without government control.
We believe each local church should be free to follow Christ faithfully in its own community. Together, our members choose our leaders, shape our worship and ministry, and decide how we will serve. We also choose how to partner with other churches and organizations, while remaining responsible for the life and direction of our own congregation.
We believe baptism is a personal decision you make as an expression of your faith in Christ. It represents new life, forgiveness, and a commitment to follow Jesus. We practice baptism by immersion, while also respecting baptisms from other Christian traditions. You do not have to be baptized in exactly the same way we are in order to belong here.
Every member is a minister.
We believe God calls and equips all kinds of people to serve.
You do not have to fit a particular role, title, background, or expectation to make a meaningful difference. Your gifts, experience, compassion, and voice matter, and we want to help you discover where you can serve, lead, grow, and care for others.
At First Baptist, ministry belongs to all of us.
Our ministers & staff
Senior Minister
Chris Dawson is the pastor of First Baptist Church of Monroe. A graduate of East Carolina University, Chris was working in the private sector when he felt a call into ministry after hearing that all are called into ministry wherever they are, while some are called into full-time vocational ministry. Chris pursued theological education and shifted his focus to become a preacher and pastoral caregiver. He has been in ministry since 2003 and received his Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry from Campbell University Divinity School. He served as Minister to Youth and Children at Swift Creek Baptist Church in Raleigh, as pastor at Westfield Baptist Church in Dunn, and has served First Baptist Church of Monroe since August 2012. He is married to Michelle, and they have three children: Sydney, Bayley, and Trevor.
Worship Leader / Minister of Worship Arts
Melanie Williams serves part-time at FBC Monroe as Minister of Worship Arts. A graduate of the University of Illinois with a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance, Melanie has been involved in music ministry leadership since her middle school days in Georgia. She served at Fort Mitchell Baptist Church in Kentucky and The Baptist Church of Beaufort in South Carolina. Melanie was ordained to the Gospel Ministry in 2003 and retired from full-time ministry in 2017. Since retirement, she has continued serving in leadership roles across denominations.
Principal Accompanist
Business Manager
Ministry Coordinator
Weekday Preschool Director
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