First Baptist Church of McAllen (First McAllen) — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Steven Gaither (Pastor)

Founded See website

Denomination Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)

Service Times Sunday 10:45 AM (English + Spanish)

Men's Ministry Yes

Kids Ministry Yes

Website www.firstmcallen.com

Pastor Credentials See website

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

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

Trinitarian, gospel-affirming per SBC BF&M 2000.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

BF&M 2000 affirms inerrancy.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Verify men's ministry locally.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Historic Baptist soteriology.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

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

SBC complementarian per BF&M 2000 Article VI — male-only senior pastor.

SBC complementarian per BF&M 2000 Article VI.

Strong

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Verify elder/deacon structure locally.

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Bilingual worship (English + Spanish at same service).

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

'Place of Hope within our community' — border-region ministry.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Verify cultural posture — unvisited. Rio Grande Valley border context.

Caution

Accountability Structure

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

Listed in churches.sbc.net official SBC directory. Pastor featured in SBTC TEXAN publication for border ministry.

Strong

Assessment

McAllen (Rio Grande Valley) SBC congregation. Pastor Steven Gaither. Bilingual worship; border-region ministry featured in SBTC TEXAN.

#sbc#southern-baptist#mcallen#rio-grande-valley#south-texas#texas#bilingual

MOOP Engagement Tracker

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

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Live-fetched https://www.firstmcallen.com on 2026-05-09 — confirmed 1200 Beech Ave McAllen TX 78501 address. Steven Gaither confirmed as pastor via SBTC TEXAN article live-fetched same day. SBC affiliation confirmed via churches.sbc.net directory entry.

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 firstmcallen.com
[2] Live source firstmcallen.com/about
[3] Live source churches.sbc.net/church/first-baptist-church-of-mcallen/
[4] Live source texanonline.net/articles/sbtc/in-mcallen-pastor-sees-imag…

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.