Two Sundays and a Wednesday Night on Crystal Beach Road
On Crystal Beach Road, just off State Road 540 in Winter Haven, Florida, Faith Baptist Church has built its life around a simple three-line purpose: to Worship God, Equip Believers, and Proclaim the Gospel. The congregation's weekly rhythm centers on two Sunday worship gatherings and a midweek Bible study, with programming that runs from nursery through high school every step of the way.
Sunday School meets at 9:30am with classes for every age group. The Morning Worship Gathering follows at 10:45am, and an Evening Worship Gathering takes place at 6:00pm. On Wednesdays the church prays and studies the Bible together at 7:00pm, while children and students fill the campus with Awana clubs and youth group from 6:30 to 8:15pm. Sunday morning services are livestreamed on YouTube, and sermon audio is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Pastor Totman Returns from the Field
Faith Baptist is led by Senior Pastor David Totman, a missionary to Africa and Hungary since 2003. Pastor Totman and his wife Anora and their three children have been members of Faith Baptist since 1998 and were the first missionaries the church ever sent overseas, through a program called Faith's 100. He has also served the congregation as Youth Pastor between overseas assignments, so his family's current call to Winter Haven marks a return to the church that first sent them out.
"God's leading never ceases to amaze us," Pastor Totman has written, "and we're excited for this new turn in the journey. It is a corner we did not expect or ever imagine happening, but we are returning with a great sense of anticipation and excitement over what God has in store." Wes Lawrence serves as Music Pastor, and Austin Uphoff leads the Student and Young Adult ministries. Stephen Simpson directs Faith Baptist Mission, the sending agency that grew out of this congregation.
From the Nursery to Awana
Children are cared for in a staffed nursery at every service and Sunday School, with a paging system that quietly alerts parents if they are needed during a service. The nursery is divided into an Infant Station for babies up to twelve months and a T-N-T Station for children thirteen to thirty-six months old, and a parent handbook is available for new families.
During the 10:45am service, children ages three through fourth grade are dismissed to their own Jr. Church so parents can focus on the morning message. On Wednesday evenings from August through May, Awana clubs run from 6:30 to 8:15pm, with separate age-appropriate groups called Puggles (ages 2 to 3), Cubbies (ages 3 to 4), Sparks (kindergarten through second grade), and T&T (third through sixth grade, split into Ultimate Adventure and Ultimate Challenge tracks). The three-part evening includes game time on the Awana circle, handbook time for scripture memory and awards, and a large-group Bible lesson. All volunteers who work with minors at Faith Baptist are screened and approved as "Approved Workers" by the church's Risk Management Committee.
Student Ministries for Seventh Through Twelfth Grade
Students in seventh through twelfth grade have their own Sunday School classes at 9:30am, working through curriculum from Answers in Genesis, with separate rooms for middle school and high school in the Family Life Center. Wednesday nights begin with open gym time at 6:30, then move to a structured game, followed by student-led worship, a message from Pastor Austin, and small-group discussion and prayer.
Parents are invited into the rhythm through quarterly meetings with Pastor Austin and weekly updates sent through the Band app, so families can continue the conversation at home. All students in grades 7 through 12 are welcome, and parents are encouraged to participate as well.
Eighteen Articles of Faith
Faith Baptist holds to a detailed statement of faith shaped by historic Baptist identity. The church teaches the verbal and plenary inspiration of Scripture, the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the literal Genesis account of creation, the fall of man into sin, and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. The church practices baptism by immersion of believers as a prerequisite to membership and observes the Lord's Supper as a commemoration of Christ's death.
The church's government is described as "democratic in its operation, remaining independent as it assumes sole responsibility for its actions and decisions," with Christ as the only head, and the local body as the final authority over membership, policy, and discipline. The pastors and deacons are the officers whose qualifications and duties are clearly defined in Scripture. In eschatology, Faith Baptist holds to a pre-millennial, pre-tribulational view of the rapture, a literal thousand-year reign of Christ, and a future new heaven and new earth. The statement of faith also affirms a literal seven-day creation, the historic Adam and Eve as the parents of the entire human race, the preservation of Scripture through faithful manuscript copying, and a dispensational reading of the Bible.
Adult Life Together
Adults gather for Sunday School at 9:30am in classes organized by life stage. Women's Ministries sustains weekly Bible studies and prayer groups and hosts three annual gatherings: a Winter Brunch, a Mother/Daughter/Sister Friend Luncheon, and a Fall Dessert. Women can also serve on ministry teams that handle bridal and baby showers, child care, new-mother meals, funeral dinners, kitchen work, new-member welcome, prayer, and visitation.
A social fellowship called Flamingos reaches out to those who have lost a spouse, taking them to concerts and other outings throughout the year. Those with technical gifts can join the Multimedia Ministry, which runs sound, video, and presentation for services and special events.
A Church Built Around Missions
Missions are the heartbeat of Faith Baptist. The church's own mission agency, Faith Baptist Mission (FBM), grew out of this congregation and now operates as a separate sending organization. The missions program the Totmans first entered, Faith's 100, has multiplied to support a long list of families and individuals serving in the United States and abroad.
Within the USA, Faith Baptist supports Peter and Lisa Brock with RTIM, Kent and Kelly Craig with ABWE, Brian Ide with Child Evangelism Fellowship, Peter and Mary Lou Jenks with BCP, Chris and Diane Marine and Doug and Karen Phillips with FBM, Gil and Denise Thomas with ABWE, Karen Williams with CBM, and Ron and Susie Yeater with Creation Critters. Overseas missionaries include Koku and Akpene Akakpo in Togo, Ken and BJ Armstrong in Southeast Asia, Tim and Pam Darling in Spain, Daniel and Sherri Lethers in Togo, Bekka Olandt in Hungary, Jon and Jenny Reiner in Brazil, Jim and Lori Spoto in Italy, and Ereina Totman with TeachBeyond in Germany. The church also partners with Faith Baptist Mission, Generate (formerly Baptist Builders Club), Missionary Flights International, and Shepherds College.
Visiting Faith Baptist
Faith Baptist Church is located at 2140 Crystal Beach Road, Winter Haven, FL 33880, off State Road 540, and can be reached by phone at (863) 293-0689. Worship gatherings are held on Sundays at 10:45am and 6:00pm, with Sunday School at 9:30am, and a Wednesday evening prayer and Bible study at 7:00pm. Children from birth through sixth grade have their own programs at every gathering, and the nursery uses a paging system to contact parents if they are needed. Sunday morning services are livestreamed on YouTube, sermon audio is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and giving is available through the church's Church Center portal. As an independent, self-governing Baptist congregation, Faith Baptist Church is accountable to Christ and to its own membership, and it sends that conviction outward through a global network of supported missionaries.