A Pioneer Church on Linden Street
First Baptist Church of Caldwell sits on the corner of Linden Street, just east of downtown Caldwell, Idaho. Founded in March 1876 by early Idaho pioneers Benjamin and Caroline Morrow - Caroline a great-niece of Daniel Boone - it is the first church congregation established in the Caldwell area. Now 150 years old and housed in its fifth building on the same property, the church is known locally as a friendly congregation that "feels like home," with a long history of standing firm on the Word of God and preaching it clearly.
The current building, completed in 1970, replaced structures that had grown with the congregation since the first wood-frame church built at 11th and Chicago in 1884 and the larger sanctuary that served the church from 1911 at 10th and Blaine. A 1941 printed bulletin captured the heart of the church with the line: "We believe in the Inspired Book, the Precious Blood, and the Blessed Hope." That same conviction continues to shape how First Baptist worships, disciples, and serves today.
The W4 Framework: Worship, Walk, Work, Witness
The whole life of the church is organized around the W4 framework. Caldwell First Baptist Church exists to glorify God as a group of Jesus followers in fellowship, committed to displaying Christ through worship, words, and actions while making disciples who make disciples.
- Worship (the Lord) - Enter into praise, prayer, and preaching with the gathering of saints, becoming a community that displays God's reign through Christ.
- Walk (with Believers) - Join other believers for deeper learning, relationship, and helping others grow in their faith.
- Work (in the Church) - Serve one another and the community by meeting their needs.
- Witness (to the World) - Share life and faith with unbelievers so that they experience Christ.
To live this out, the church pairs Sunday gatherings with home-based Growth Groups, weekday Bible studies for men and women, and cross-cultural outreach - including a four-week class on witnessing to Mormon neighbors taught by Phil Atkinson.
Sunday Morning at CFBC
Sunday is the rhythm-setting day at First Baptist. The Worship Service begins at 9:30am and is characterized by passionate, theologically deep singing - songs, hymns, and spiritual songs - along with expository preaching, verse-by-verse through the Word of God. Communion is observed on the first Sunday of every month, preceded by solemn self-examination.
After the service, fellowship flows into Sunday School at 11:15am. Children's ministry staff meet families at the KidMin booth in front of the Children's Wing in the basement starting at 11:05am. Adult classes currently include a study of 1 & 2 Samuel led by Pastor Brett in the Fellowship Hall, a verse-by-verse study of Luke with Harris and Robertson in Room 107, and a Philippians class led by Frederick and Lorenz in the Library. Youth classes include dedicated Middle School and High School Sunday School held upstairs. Children's classes are arranged by age group using Gospel Light materials for preschool through 1st grade and Answers Bible Curriculum for 2nd through 5th grade.
Visitors who cannot attend in person can join the service via livestream on the church's YouTube channel, and a sermon archive is available there as well.
Wednesday Night: Children, Students, and Adults
Wednesday evenings are a second front door into the life of the church.
Adventure Club runs from 6:20pm to 8:00pm for children ages 3 through 6th grade and meets September through April. The Wednesday night children's program pairs Scripture memorization with games and teaching. The 2026-27 curriculum walks children through a systematic study of theology, with the same weekly lesson adapted for every age so families can keep one conversation going at the dinner table. Program nights have included Crazy Sock night collecting socks for a women's shelter, a Thanksgiving canned-good drive for Love INC, Glowstick games, and a Drive-in movie night.
Youth Group gathers 6th through 12th graders from 6:30pm to 8:15pm, with a gender-split Bible Study hour at 5:30pm beforehand. The evening includes indoor or outdoor games, snacks, musical worship, and a biblical lesson. Throughout the year, the teens add to that weekly rhythm with camps, retreats, and activities like river rafting, rock climbing, and skiing.
Adult Bible Studies meet from 6:20pm to 8:00pm, with options for both men and women looking for midweek teaching and fellowship.
Children, Youth, and Young Adults
Children's Director Meghan Conant oversees a Kids Ministry that walks alongside parents from birth through 5th grade, with discipleship on Sunday mornings in Children's Church and Sunday School, and on Wednesday nights at Adventure Club. Each lesson focuses on revealing the greatness of God and His plan of redemption through Jesus Christ.
The youth ministry aims to bring young people to the foot of the cross to meet their Savior and to build the body of Christ through their training and nurturing. Youth participate in camps and retreats, small-group Bible studies, mid-week meetings, and community service. A standing outreach has the teens helping at the New Hope Program with Love INC on the first Thursday of every month, where they invest time with the children of families receiving financial and marital counseling.
Young adults meet twice a week. On Sunday mornings they attend the 9:30am worship service and, at 11:15am, a Young Adults Sunday School class that builds a biblical worldview. Sunday evenings bring a 7:00pm Growth Group for young married couples (ages 18-35) at a member's home. Tuesdays at 6:30pm the group gathers at the home of John Lopez for fellowship, sermon review, Bible study, and corporate prayer.
Adult Discipleship Beyond Sunday
For adults "beyond the young adults phase," the church offers a layered approach to discipleship.
Growth Groups are the engine of small-group life at CFBC. Groups meet throughout the week in members' homes across Caldwell, with options for younger adults, young families, families with teens, empty nesters, retirees, and seniors. A Seniors group gathers at the Sears residence on Sundays at 4:00pm; families with teens meet at the Baughman residence Sundays at 4:30pm; and middle-aged families meet Fridays at 4:30pm at the Nevers/Conant residence. These groups serve as the primary place where newcomers are welcomed into the life of the church.
Men's Bible studies include a Tuesday morning study of Genesis (10:00am in Room 106, led by Hultgren) and a Tuesday evening study of Taming Your Thoughts (6:30pm at the Williams home with K. Williams). A men-only Wednesday evening Bible study also meets during the midweek program.
Women's Bible studies include Discovering God in the Psalms on Tuesdays at 10:00am in the Fellowship Hall, Foundations: New Testament on Wednesdays at 6:30pm in Room 106, and Colossians & Philemon on Fridays at 10:00am in the Library.
Men's Breakfast gathers men on the second Saturday of each month at 9:00am in the Fellowship Hall for food, fellowship, and biblical teaching on manhood. Women at the Well meets the third Saturday of every other month at 11:00am in the Fellowship Hall around food, fellowship, and sound doctrine.
What We Believe
First Baptist Church holds to a traditional Baptist confession. The Declaration of Faith teaches that the Old and New Testaments are inspired and inerrant in the original writings and are of supreme and final authority in faith and life. The church affirms one God eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - co-equal in nature and perfections. The Lord Jesus Christ is true God and true man, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified for sinners, raised bodily, exalted to the heavens, and interceding now as High Priest and Advocate. The Holy Spirit regenerates, seals, indwells, and progressively sanctifies all believers at conversion.
The church teaches that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, that the saved are justified by the imputed righteousness of Christ and adopted into His family, and that believers are preserved forever by the Spirit. It is pre-millennial in eschatology, holding to the personal, visible return of Christ and to the resurrection of the saved and the lost to their respective eternal destinies.
The church recognizes two ordinances: believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper. Local-church life is expressed through corporate worship, the preaching of the Word, the Lord's Supper, accountability, biblical discipline, and local and world evangelization. Church government calls for biblically qualified male elders who are chosen by and accountable to the local congregation.
The Declaration of Faith also addresses marriage and gender: marriage is defined as the union of one man and one woman, biological sex is fixed at conception, sexual intimacy is reserved for marriage, and every person is to be treated with compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Church facilities may be used for weddings and wedding-related events only where at least one prospective spouse is a member in good standing of Caldwell First Baptist Church.
The full Constitution, Declaration of Faith, Church Covenant, and Bylaws are available as a PDF on the What We Believe page.
Missions and Library
First Baptist supports almost 20 missionaries and organizations both locally and around the world, including Iran Alive, Proclaim Aviation, WorldVenture, Wycliffe, Love INC of the Treasure Valley, Camino Global's Puebla Bible Seminary, and Praise International.
For those who want to keep reading between Sundays, the CFBC Library is open Sundays. Many of the books and movies in the collection are chosen to edify and grow the believer in his walk with the Lord. The library has an online catalog where visitors can see what is on the shelves and whether resources are currently checked out.
Pastoral Staff
Senior Pastor Brett Siegalkoff joined First Baptist in 2017 after serving in California, Illinois, and Oregon, and brings more than 20 years of pastoral experience. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from Moody Bible Institute and a Master's Degree from Wheaton Graduate School, with study interests in exegetical preaching and church history. His life verse is Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me."
Associate Pastor Lochlan Frederick joined the staff in 2025 after finishing seminary. A native Idahoan, Lochlan holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication from Grand Canyon University and a Master of Theological Studies from Shepherds Theological Seminary at the WEST Institute in Laramie, Wyoming. He enjoys preaching, teaching, and evangelism, and his ministry verse is 1 Timothy 6:11-12: "Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness."
Children's Director Meghan Conant joined the staff in October 2022 and oversees programming for children from birth through 5th grade. Worship Coordinator Kathy Rawleigh serves as choir director and leads worship with her husband Bob. Communications Director Aidan Lorenz joined the team in 2025 to streamline church communications and media distribution. Thida Lopez serves as Financial Secretary and Laurie Higer as Administrative Secretary.
Church Fellowship
Caldwell First Baptist Church is in fellowship with Church Venture Northwest, a ministry dedicated to helping every church take bold next steps to strengthen, revitalize, and plant new churches in the Pacific Northwest.
Getting Connected
First Baptist Church meets at 221 E Linden St, Caldwell, ID 83605. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00am to 2:00pm. The main phone line is (208) 459-4614. Online giving is processed through Tithe.ly and may be set up as a one-time or recurring gift; contributions may also be mailed or delivered to the church office. Weekly bulletins and a monthly newsletter are both available online.
Caldwell First Baptist Church exists to worship the Lord, walk with believers, work in the Church, and witness to the world.