Harrisonburg Free Will Baptist Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Paul J. Collins

Founded 1997

Denomination Free Will Baptist

Service Times Sunday Worship — verify times on website

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website harrisonburgfwbc.com

Pastor Credentials B.A., Free Will Baptist Bible College (Nashville, TN), 1984; Peninsula Bible Institute graduate. Former VA State Promotional Director and Moderator of Virginia FWB State Association.

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

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

Trinitarian, Free Will Baptist Treatise affirms classic orthodox Christology.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Inerrant Scripture per FWB Treatise; not KJV-Only.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Standard small-church men's fellowship; structure not visible online.

Strong

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Arminian (FWB distinctive — affirms general atonement and conditional perseverance). Yellow flag for Reformed-leaning users; not a Reformed-Baptist position.

Caution

Gender / Biblical Design

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

Complementarian — male-only pastorate per FWB convention norms.

Free Will Baptist complementarian — male-only pastorate per NAFWB Treatise.

Strong

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Long-tenured pastor (~28 yrs); state-association leadership history adds accountability.

Strong

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Expository emphasis typical of FWB Bible College tradition.

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

NAFWB cooperative missions involvement.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Mainstream conservative evangelical; not engaged in culture-war prominence.

Strong

Accountability Structure

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

NAFWB / Virginia State Association of Free Will Baptists — Northern VA Conference.

Strong

Assessment

Established FWB congregation planted by Paul Collins in 1997, now ~28 years under same pastor. Solid evangelical orthodoxy with the FWB Arminian distinctive on soteriology — Wesleyan-leaning but Baptist on ecclesiology and ordinances.

#fwb#free-will-baptist#va#harrisonburg#nafwb#northern-va-conference

MOOP Engagement Tracker

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

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Pastor Paul Collins verified via Yelp listing, LinkedIn, and FWB Bible College alumni history. Address 331 Vine St cross-confirmed.

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 harrisonburgfwbc.com
[2] Live source vafwb.com/officer-pastors
[3] Live source linkedin.com/in/paul-collins-37a12966

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.