First Baptist Church Charleston — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Marshall Blalock (Senior Pastor)

Founded Unknown

Denomination Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)

Service Times Sunday Worship 10:30 AM; Wednesday Night Supper & Bible Studies (Sept-May)

Men's Ministry Yes

Kids Ministry Yes

Website www.fbcharleston.org

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

SBC -- orthodox Trinitarian Christology.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

SBC -- BFM 2000 inerrancy.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Men's Ministry link confirmed on homepage navigation (fbcharleston.org). Upgrade yellow -> green.

Strong

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Faith alone. SBC doctrinal framework.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Male senior pastor. SBC complementarian.

Male senior pastor. SBC complementarian framework.

Strong

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Male pastoral staff. Historic SBC governance.

Strong

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Verify -- likely expository or blended.

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Missions and discipleship emphasized.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

No progressive indicators. Historic Southern Baptist church founded in 1682 -- oldest Baptist church in the South.

Strong

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

Oldest Baptist church in the South (1682). Marshall Blalock served as President of SC Baptist Convention, Chairman of SBC Sexual Abuse Reform Task Force, IMB trustee. Uses 'Great Commission Baptists' descriptor (SBC-approved alternative name, not CBF).

Strong

Assessment

First Baptist Charleston is the oldest Baptist church in the South (founded 1682) and remains SBC-affiliated. Pastor Marshall Blalock leads. Historic Greek Revival sanctuary designed by Robert Mills (1820). Appears theologically sound with SBC doctrinal commitments. Worth visiting to verify men's ministry and preaching style.

#sbc#historic#charleston#oldest-baptist-south

Pastor Signatures & Affiliations [Orthodox-aligned signatures]

Public statement signatures and organizational affiliations of this church's named pastors. "People is policy" — these are evidence-weighted signals about doctrinal trajectory, not the sole determinant of any rating.

Nashville Statement

Marshall Blalock

Source: cbmw.org — hover for details

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Earlier rounds sometimes mis-read 'Great Commission Baptists' as CBF-coded; this is the 2012 SBC descriptor, not a moderate flag.

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source fbcharleston.org/about
[2] Live source baptistcourier.com/2022/06/marshall-blalock-reflects-on-s…

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.