First Baptist Church Sarasota — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Dr. John Cross

Founded 1902

Denomination Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)

Service Times Check website for current times

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website firstsarasota.org

Pastor Credentials M.Div. + D.Min. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; BA Mercer University

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

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

SBC Trinitarian orthodoxy per BFM2000.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

BFM2000 inerrancy.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

No men's ministry confirmed.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Baptist sola-fide per BFM2000.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

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

BFM2000 complementarian framework; specific policy not on reviewed page.

BFM2000 complementarian framework.

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Dr. John Cross Senior Pastor (M.Div. and D.Min. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Mercer University BA 1986; past President of Florida Baptist Convention Pastors' Conference 1994).

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Not verified from sermons this pass.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Not verified.

Caution

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

No DEI markers observed.

Strong

Accountability Structure

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

SBC — founded 1902; confessional accountability via BFM2000.

Strong

Assessment

First Baptist Sarasota (branded 'First Sarasota') is an SBC church at 1661 Main St, Sarasota. Led by Dr. John Cross. SBC affiliation provides baseline accountability. Limited detailed doctrinal information from web search.

#sbc#sarasota#florida

MOOP Engagement Tracker

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

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

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] Archived snapshot web.archive.org/web/20260314090508/https://firstsarasota.…
↳ Snapshot of firstsarasota.org/about/ (live link)
[2] Live source churches.sbc.net/church/sarasota-first-baptist-church/

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.