First Baptist Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Rev. James Williams

Founded Unknown

Denomination SBC

Service Times Sunday 10:30 AM

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry No

Website www.firstbaptistphiladelphia.org/

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

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

Not stated on homepage — verify.

Caution

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Not stated on homepage — verify.

Caution

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Not mentioned.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Not stated on homepage — verify.

Caution

Gender / Biblical Design

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

Not stated on homepage — verify.

Verify

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Rev. James Williams listed as pastor (male).

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Not stated on homepage — verify.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Emphasizes 'prophetic voice,' 'serving the least of these' — social-gospel lean.

WARNING!

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Explicit 'diverse, inclusive, and welcoming community' language.

WARNING!

Accountability Structure

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

Philadelphia Baptist Association (the oldest Baptist association in America, now affiliated with ABCUSA) — not SBC.

WARNING!

Assessment

First Baptist Church in Philadelphia, PA — yellow-default pending full research. Verify all categories.

#sbc#philadelphia#pa#needs-review

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.

Dallas Statement (Social Justice & Gospel)

Rev. James Williams

Source: statementonsocialjustice.com — hover for details

Nashville Statement

Rev. James Williams

Source: cbmw.org — hover for details

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

URL research: matched 123 S 17th St, Philadelphia PA; ministry 325+ years (founded 1698); progressive/inclusive — not SBC as record states

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 firstbaptistphiladelphia.org
[2] Live source philadelphiabaptist.org/church-directory/

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.