Fargo Baptist Church sits at 3303 23rd Avenue South in Fargo, North Dakota, just off Interstate 94. The hundred-thousand-square-foot campus was built debt-free by volunteer labor from the congregation that started with three members and a twelve-dollar offering on a cold January Sunday in 1987. Today the church is independent Baptist, teaches from the King James Bible, runs a tuition-free Bible college, and fills the building each Sunday with families, a choir, and one of the larger children's ministries in the area.
From Three Members and a Twelve-Dollar Offering
The first service at Fargo Baptist Church was held in January of 1987. Three people sat in the pews and the offering plate came back with twelve dollars. After that beginning the church moved several times and launched several building projects until the congregation settled into its current home along I-94. The roughly hundred-thousand-square-foot facility was constructed with volunteer labor from the church members and stands debt-free. Out of the same vision came Master's Baptist College, a tuition-free school whose graduates have been sent out as missionaries to Africa, Asia, and Russia.
Sunday Mornings at Fargo Baptist
A first visit follows a simple rhythm. At 9:30 AM, adults and children move into age-appropriate Bible classes, with group sizes running somewhere between thirty and eighty for a more home-like feel. The main worship service begins at 10:30 AM and lasts about an hour. Greeters meet visitors at the door, hand out information, and walk them to wherever they need to go. Music from the choir and other groups opens the service, followed by a message preached by Senior Pastor Tony Scheving.
For families with small children, the nursery has 'state-of-the-art' facilities and is staffed for infants, walkers, and toddlers. Mothers of infants receive a pager so the nursery can reach them during the service. There are also parent-rooms inside the sanctuary for parents who prefer to stay together with fidgety little ones. Visitors can expect to feel at home among friends.
Services are livestreamed through YouTube and SermonAudio, and recordings are archived for later listening and viewing. A radio station, Heaven 88.7 FM (KFBN), carries the church's teaching further into the region.
An Independent Baptist Church and the King James Bible
Fargo Baptist teaches that the Holy Bible is the full, final, and complete revelation of God's will to man, supernaturally given through holy men moved by the Holy Spirit. The church uses the King James Version as its Bible of choice and holds the text to be the final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
There is one true and living God, revealed in the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, co-existent and co-equal. Jesus Christ is co-eternal with the Father, virgin-born, fully God and fully man, whose death on the cross was voluntary, substitutionary, and sufficient for the salvation of all men of all times. He rose bodily from the grave and will return bodily at the end of the age.
The church teaches salvation by grace through faith, with repentance and faith as inseparable prerequisites. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are the two ordinances given to the local church. Baptism is by immersion of a born-again believer, and the Lord's Supper is a memorial administered by the authority of the local Baptist church, with only church members in right relationship qualifying to participate.
On salvation, Fargo Baptist holds a strong view of eternal security. When a sinner repents and receives Jesus Christ as personal Savior, he receives eternal life. The eternal purpose of God in salvation is, first, to preserve the believer forever in Christ; the believer is saved eternally. The church frames it this way: "once in Grace, always in Grace."
On church government, Fargo Baptist is explicit. The local, visible, called-out assembly of believers is the only church found in the New Testament. The local New Testament church is an independent congregation, not governed or controlled by an ecclesiastical hierarchy. The will of the local church is final. The church also holds to a literal Genesis creation, a historical fall in the Garden of Eden, a personal devil who is the god of this world and the father of all lies, the bodily resurrection of the dead, the Rapture of believers, and the literal Second Coming of Christ.
Children Everywhere, on Purpose
Children fill the hallways at Fargo Baptist by design. Children's Church is built around age-appropriate classes where teachers work to give children a strong biblical foundation. The 9:30 Bible hour offers classes for every age group, and the 10:30 morning service includes a separate children's program so parents can focus on the message.
Teenagers meet under trained and caring adult leaders who teach, counsel, and run activities with the goal of helping young people develop right attitudes toward God, family, peers, and themselves. Beyond Sunday mornings the church runs a full slate of youth activities, including summer camps, ball games, ski trips, lake outings, amusement-park trips, and volunteer service projects. The goal is real friendships developed without having to pretend to be someone so that people will accept you.
On the family side, Fargo Baptist teaches that strong families happen on purpose, through proactive spouses and parents in an anti-family society. Beyond ongoing teaching on family matters, the church holds yearly Family Life Seminars and regular family get-togethers, and the monthly Moms and More group provides encouragement for mothers.
Congregation Singing the Old Hymns
The music ministry at Fargo Baptist leans traditional. The congregation sings the timeless hymns of the faith together. Around that core the church runs several musical streams, including an orchestra, special music, an adult choir, and seasonal cantatas. The music ministry exists to worship the Lord through Christ-honoring songs.
A Veterans Ministry with Discipline
One of the more distinctive ministries at Fargo Baptist is its work with veterans, led by Pastor Frank Wilson, an Air Force retiree, and Discipled Veterans leader Cory Damm. The Veterans Ministry exists to serve the spiritual needs of veterans in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
Two regular rhythms make up the backbone. A bi-monthly breakfast is held on the second Saturday of every other month at 8:30 AM, with veterans and their spouses invited to share a free meal and fellowship with others who understand the experience. In the months between breakfasts, the church holds intra-church veterans outings. A weekly Discipled Veterans program meets every Monday at 6:30 PM and walks veterans through Bible study designed to meet them where they are, drawing on warrior-figures like King David. The ministry also offers an end-of-life planning service.
Ladies, Moms, and the College Group
The Ladies Ministries at Fargo Baptist express Christ's love to other church members, area residents, and missionary wives through prayer, gifts, and special events. The group enjoys craft time together and prepares meals to be a blessing to others. A monthly mothers' support group called Moms and More meets for encouragement and connection.
The College and Career group is very active. College students meet weekly on area campuses for Bible study and fellowship, with the group also taking part in various activities that provide fun and recreation. For those who want one-on-one Bible learning, the church matches interested people with seasoned Christians who love to walk through the Bible together.
Compassion, Shut-Ins, and Beyond the Walls
The Compassion Ministry sends staff and volunteers into the wider community to visit shut-ins, those in nursing homes, and patients in hospitals. Visits include music, Bible study, and special services. Other service slots include the church nursery, greeters, the library and bookstore, the print shop, housekeeping, and a truck stop outreach that takes the ministry beyond the church walls.
Growing in Grace and Getting Involved
The church's motto is Ephesians 4:15: "Speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things." Preaching and teaching emphasize the power of Scripture to change lives. The church teaches that a Christian is either going forward or backward in their spiritual life, and there is no neutral. Every believer is challenged to grow in the knowledge of God, in love, in Bible truth, and in faith.
Hundreds of volunteers serve every week across the ministries, and applications are taken through a volunteer form for those who want to get involved. Giving is offered online through Faith for Life, and the church also accepts stock donations for those who want to support the work that way.