
Quick Facts
Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable
Mark Bethea
Founded
1829
Denomination
Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)
Service Times
Sunday services (check website)
Men's Ministry
Yes
Kids Ministry
Yes

10-Point Theological Scorecard
Christology
Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)
SBC church — affirms orthodox Christology (Nicene, Chalcedonian).
Strong
Scripture
Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?
SBC — Baptist Faith & Message 2000 affirms inerrancy and authority of Scripture.
Strong
Men's Discipleship
Intentional formation for men?
Men's ministry confirmed on website.
Caution
Soteriology
Faith alone? How is salvation presented?
SBC — salvation by grace through faith. BF&M 2000 framework.
Strong
Gender / Biblical Design
Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?
Complementarian — SBC standard (CBMW halfway position; MOOP holds patriarchal headship as the biblical standard). Male senior pastor confirmed; verify whether headship convictions are robust or drifting toward functional egalitarianism.

Male senior pastor confirmed. Complementarian per SBC BF&M 2000 (CBMW halfway position; MOOP holds patriarchal headship as the biblical standard); verify whether headship convictions are robust or drifting toward functional egalitarianism.
Caution
Leadership Structure
Male elders/pastors? Accountability?
Male senior pastor. Elder/deacon structure assumed per SBC polity.
Caution
Preaching Style
Expository or topical/therapeutic?
Verify — check sermon archives for expository vs topical.
Caution
Mission Clarity
Great Commission central?
SBC churches give through Cooperative Program; Great Commission emphasis standard.
Strong
Cultural Alignment
DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?
Verify — check for DEI/CRT language or social justice emphasis.
Caution
Accountability Structure
Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?
SBC confirmed via historic Wolf/IMB trustee service; current pastor Mark Bethea called via Alabama Baptist channels.
Strong

Assessment
First Baptist Montgomery is a historic SBC church (est. 1829) in Alabama's capital city. SBC affiliation confirmed.
#sbc#alabama#montgomery#historic#capital-city#verified-2026#needs-review#montgomery-al#montgomery-county#historic-church

MOOP Engagement Tracker
How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:
✓
Researched church website

Sources & Evidence
Enrichment Notes
[2026-05-19] Phase 5b auto-merge: absorbed 1 dupe record (first-baptist-montgomery-al). Group key: "first baptist church montgomery @ 305 s perry st, montgomery, al 36104".
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.
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[1] Live source
thealabamabaptist.org/fbc-montgomery-names-mark-bethea-as…
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[2] Live source
montgomeryfbc.org
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.

Last reviewed:
2026-05-16
— Annual review recommended