First Baptist Church Venice FL — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Tom Hodge

Founded Unknown

Denomination Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)

Service Times Check website for current times

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website fbcvenice.org

Pastor Credentials BS Marine Biology, University of West Florida; ThM New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

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

Not stated on available sources — verify in person.

Caution

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Not stated on available sources — verify in person.

Caution

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Not stated on available sources — verify in person.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Not stated on available sources — verify in person.

Caution

Gender / Biblical Design

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

Senior Pastor Tom Hodge (male). No female pastor evidenced.

Verify

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

'One Church... Two Locations' multi-site model; senior-pastor led.

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Not characterized; sermons on YouTube/livestream.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Not characterized.

Caution

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Welcoming language typical evangelical; no affirming markers.

Caution

Accountability Structure

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

Site live; 'Our Staff' and 'Deacons' pages referenced. Ministries for children, students, adults, and adults 55+ visible; no dedicated men's or women's ministry page visible on homepage. No affirming/egalitarian language. SBC per prior data.

Strong

Assessment

First Baptist Church of Venice is an SBC church with two campuses: downtown at 312 Miami Avenue West and The Lakefront Church at 3100 Executive Drive (note: batch file address 106 Center Rd may be outdated). Pastor Tom has Marine Biology background (U of West Florida) and MDiv from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. NOBTS training is a positive indicator for conservative SBC theology. Previously served in Louisiana and Arizona. SBC affiliation confirmed. Phone: (941) 484-8057.

#sbc#venice-fl#nobts-trained#multi-campus

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] Live source fbcvenice.org
[2] Live source churches.sbc.net/church/first-baptist-church-of-venice/

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.