Immanuel Baptist Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Jordan Fanara (Lead Pastor)

Founded 1852

Denomination Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV)

Service Times Sunday mornings (check website); (804) 358-6516

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website immanuelbaptist.org

Pastor Credentials B.S. in Education; M.A. in Pastoral Counseling

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

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

Trinitarian Baptist orthodoxy per BGAV framework.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

BGAV does not require inerrancy; Jordan Fanara emphasizes 'God speaks through His Word' — high regard for Scripture.

Caution

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Men's Bible Study Wednesdays 6:45 PM listed.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Sola fide consistent with Baptist evangelical tradition.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

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

Jordan Fanara (male) Lead Pastor; BGAV permits women in all pastoral roles; local elder composition not verified.

Male Lead Pastor (Jordan Fanara); BGAV permits women in all ministry roles denominationally

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Jordan Fanara confirmed as Lead Pastor; homepage emphasizes 'God speaks through His Word' and Gather/Grow/Go framing. Site mentions 'pastors and staff' plural but elder structure not detailed. Women's Bible studies visible; no women in pastoral roles identified on homepage.

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Homepage emphasizes 'God speaks through His Word' and Word-centered Bible ministry — Word-centered emphasis retained.

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

'Introducing lost souls to Jesus' — Great Commission language.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

No DEI/CRT language observed; BGAV has CBF ties but Immanuel's public posture is evangelical.

Caution

Accountability Structure

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

Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV) — moderate Virginia Baptist stream, separated from SBC in 1990s over inerrancy and gender.

Caution

Assessment

Immanuel Baptist is one of Richmond's historic congregations, established in 1852 and located on the storied Monument Avenue corridor. Lead Pastor Jordan Fanara describes himself as committed to 'shepherding through sound, biblical preaching' and passionate about 'introducing lost souls to Jesus' — language consistent with evangelical, Great Commission conviction. The church's public-facing posture is warm and Word-centered. The honest concern is BGAV affiliation: the Baptist General Association of Virginia is the moderate Virginia Baptist stream that separated from the SBC in the 1990s over inerrancy and gender. Jordan Fanara's educational background (B.S. Education + M.A. Pastoral Counseling) is practical but doesn't signal strong Reformed or conservative Baptist theological training. Before committing, verify stance on Scripture inerrancy, women in ministry, and elder accountability. Immanuel has the posture worth visiting.

#baptist#bgav#monument-avenue#richmond#historic#word-centered

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Word-centered preaching language warrants slight upgrade on preaching to green. Overall rating red sustained due to BGAV denominational framework. Upgraded mens_discipleship and preaching based on fresh evidence but still yellow on gender due to denominational permission for women pastors.

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 immanuelbaptist.org

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.