Quick Facts
Founded
Unknown
Denomination
Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)
Service Times
Sunday 9:30 AM Adult Bible Fellowship; 11:00 AM Worship
Men's Ministry
No
Kids Ministry
No
Pastor Credentials
Full-time Pastor
10-Point Theological Scorecard
Christology
Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)
Not stated on homepage (403 on fetch).
Caution
Scripture
Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?
Founders-listed church implies high view of Scripture; 1689 Baptist Confession lineage likely.
Strong
Men's Discipleship
Intentional formation for men?
Not stated on available sources.
Caution
Soteriology
Faith alone? How is salvation presented?
Founders affiliation implies Reformed Baptist soteriology (sola fide, doctrines of grace).
Strong
Gender / Biblical Design
Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?
Pastor Braydon Hotchkiss (male) recently called.
Pastor Braydon Hotchkiss (male)
Caution
Leadership Structure
Male elders/pastors? Accountability?
Founders-affiliated churches typically emphasize elder plurality; not verified on this site.
Caution
Preaching Style
Expository or topical/therapeutic?
Founders-affiliated implies expository preaching; not verified on site.
Caution
Mission Clarity
Great Commission central?
Not stated on available sources.
Caution
Cultural Alignment
DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?
Founders (anti-CRT, anti-woke SBC movement) affiliation strong signal of conservative cultural stance.
Caution
Accountability Structure
Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?
SBC + Founders Ministries listed (church.founders.org). Site returned 403 on this audit — could not re-verify directly, but Founders directory listing remains the strongest confessional/Reformed-Baptist signal.
Strong
Assessment
First Baptist Church Tarpon Springs is an SBC church at 1021 Gulf Rd, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 (note: batch file address 233 E Tarpon Ave differs — may have relocated). Pastor Braydon Hotchkiss is a recent hire as full-time pastor. Listed on Founders Ministries church search — a strong positive indicator for Reformed/conservative SBC theology. The church recently appointed elders (Nov 2023) — elder governance is a positive ecclesiological indicator. Phone: (727) 937-3742. SBC and Founders affiliation confirmed.
#sbc#founders-friendly#elder-governance#tarpon-springs-fl
MOOP Engagement Tracker
How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:
✓
Researched church website
Sources & Evidence
Enrichment Notes
Founders affiliation is a strong positive signal. Scripture and soteriology upgraded to green based on Founders network positions. Overall could justify green but keeping yellow pending direct doctrinal confirmation.
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
fbctarpon.org
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[2] Live source
church.founders.org/church/first-baptist-church-of-tarpon…
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
233 E Tarpon Ave, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689
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