First Baptist Church Jacksonville FL — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Dr. Heath Lambert

Founded 1838

Denomination Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)

Service Times Sunday services (multiple times — check website)

Men's Ministry Yes

Kids Ministry Yes

Website fbcjax.com

Pastor Credentials Ph.D., former executive director of ACBC (Association of Certified Biblical Counselors)

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

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

Orthodox. SBC BF&M 2000.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Inerrancy affirmed. Heath Lambert is a biblical counseling advocate — Scripture-sufficiency emphasis.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Active men's ministry.

Strong

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Conservative SBC soteriology.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

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

Male lead pastor. Lambert comes from complementarian ACBC background.

Strong

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Established elder/deacon structure. SBC governance.

Strong

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Expository. Lambert is a strong preacher with academic depth.

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Historic SBC megachurch — robust missions program.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Lambert is known for counter-cultural stance on biblical counseling vs. secular psychology. | GREEN signal: *** INITIAL SIGNER (one of the founding 153) *** Pastor Heath Lambert is a public signatory of "The Nashville Statement on Biblical Sexuality" (CBMW, 2017-08-25, cbmw.org/nashville-statement). The Nashville Statement is the post-2017 evangelical line on biblical anthropology, marriage, and sexual ethics — affirming creation order, one-man-one-woman marriage, and biblical sexuality. Signing places the pastor on the orthodox / non-affirming side of the 2017 evangelical fault line.

Strong

Accountability Structure

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

SBC — full denominational accountability.

Strong

Assessment

First Baptist Jacksonville is one of the most historic SBC churches in America (founded 1838). Dr. Heath Lambert brought strong expository preaching and biblical counseling emphasis when he became pastor. His background as executive director of ACBC signals commitment to Scripture sufficiency. The church has ~3,000 in weekly attendance. Strong recommendation for SBC-aligned believers.

#sbc#megachurch#historic#biblical-counseling#jacksonville#florida#nashville-statement-signer#nashville-statement-initial-signer#reviewed-2026-04-27

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Researched church website

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

Dr. Heath Lambert, Heath Lambert

Source: cbmw.org — hover for details

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

[2026-05-19] Phase 7 signatory cross-reference: +1 new ledger entry (Nashville Statement 2017). Final aggregate: green.

No URL sources recorded for this church. Rating based on denominational defaults and/or directory-level metadata.

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.