At 1003 College Street in Forney, First Baptist Church Forney is known for a church life built around three habits: gathering for worship, making room for sustained prayer, and organizing discipleship around LifeGroups. The Forney church anchors a family that also includes En Español at the same address and Elmo in Terrell. Its ministries extend from birth through sixth grade, middle and high school, college, adult life, Christian education, worship arts, sports, and mission work. The goal is practical: make disciples who actually follow Jesus every day, with family, faith, and community at the center.
A Place to Belong on College Street
Visitors to the Forney church are met with a smile at the door, whether it is a first visit or a fiftieth. A greeter is there to answer questions and help people find their way, and it is easy to get around the campus. Dress is deliberately relaxed: come in jeans, a dress, a suit, or whatever feels comfortable. The church's own welcome puts it plainly: “Come as you are, dress up, or come casual.”
Families with children do not need to work out the details in advance. First Kids serves children from birth through sixth grade during both Sunday worship services, with Information Centers available to help first-time visitors. A Plan Your Visit resource is also available. The Forney gathering combines authentic worship, relevant biblical teaching, relationships that can grow into friendships, and a community that seeks to help people feel at home.
Preparing the Room for Sunday Worship
The Sunday rhythm begins before public worship. From 8:15 to 9:00 a.m., The Preparation is a come-and-go prayer walk in the Worship Center. A printed guide at the front of the stage leads participants through prayers for Christ's presence and for the Holy Spirit's work during the services. On a typical morning, 25 to 30 people take part.
Sunday worship follows at 9:15 and 11:00 a.m. The music is a dynamic mix of hymns and praise music, led by praise teams with an occasional choir. The aim is Spirit-led worship that glorifies God and remains scriptural, meaningful, and encouraging. For people who cannot gather in person, FBC Forney offers a Sunday live stream, an extensive sermon archive, and audio sermon podcasts.
LifeGroups at Three Morning Times
LifeGroups meet at 8:00, 9:15, and 11:00 a.m. on Sundays at the Forney campus. These gatherings are intended to create community and help people become more like Jesus through the giving and receiving of member care. The church describes them as “24/7 entities,” with relationships and support continuing beyond the Sunday meeting.
- Preschool, Kids, Students, and First Friends
- Adult 1 for ages 19-35
- Adult 2 for ages 36-50
- Adult 3 for ages 50-64
- Adult 4 for ages 65 and older
Adult LifeGroups provide places to build relationships, study God's Word, support one another in prayer, fellowship with people in similar life stages, and serve together. Many groups are organized around average age or the ages of participants' children. Open enrollment allows people to join a group at any time.
Tuesday Nights at the Forum
Prayer is a major part of FBC Forney's weekly life. The House of Prayer meets every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in The Forum. On a typical Tuesday, 300 to 500 believers gather for a guided prayer service led by one of the pastors. Everyone is welcome, including church members, nonmembers, followers of Jesus, and people who do not yet follow Jesus.
The church meets for prayer all 52 Tuesdays of the year and also holds occasional three-hour “Breakthrough” gatherings and all-night prayer services, with breakfast provided for the latter. Corporate fasts can last from one to 21 days, and participants choose an eating plan that takes their health, fitness, season of life, and spiritual maturity into account.
Three Ways to Gather: Forney, En Español, and Elmo
The Family of Churches includes three worship communities with distinct settings and schedules, but a shared emphasis on discipleship, biblical teaching, worship, and relationships.
En Español at 1003 College Street
The En Español congregation shares the Forney address but has its own worship rhythm. Its worship service begins at 11:00 a.m. in the Forum, followed by Bible classes for all ages at 12:30 p.m. Spanish-language Bible studies meet on Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m. in room A113. Eddie Lopez serves as the congregation's lead pastor.
Visitors enter through the double glass doors on the east side of the building, where someone waits to welcome them and help them find their way. Clothing ranges from jeans to dresses and suits. The Spanish-language children's ministry serves babies through sixth grade during Sunday worship. Spanish sermons are also available through the congregation's sermon archive and podcast.
Elmo in Terrell
The Elmo church is at 11243 County Rd 352, Terrell, TX 75161 and joined the family through a strategic partnership with First Baptist Church Forney. Sunday LifeGroups for all ages meet at 9:15 a.m., followed by worship at 11:00 a.m. The worship service features uplifting music and a practical, Bible-based message, with childcare provided from birth through Pre-K. Live Spanish translation is available.
On Wednesday, Elmo hosts a midweek meal at 6:00 p.m. and Bible study for adults, children, and youth at 6:30 p.m. Guests enter through the double glass doors on the left side of the building and are greeted at the entrance. Mitch Chapman and Del Traffanstedt serve as co-lead pastors for the Elmo congregation.
First Kids: Safety, Mentors, and Growth
First Kids is FBC Forney's ministry for children from birth through sixth grade. Its work centers on communicating the gospel of Christ to children, honoring them through dedicated Christian adults, helping them discover and use their spiritual gifts, encouraging spiritual growth, and helping them put God first. Families can choose the preschool ministry or the K-6 ministry according to their child's age.
Safety is the first priority in children's ministry. All First Kids volunteers have passed background checks, and the church has a security team and a tag system for checking children in and out. Information Centers assist families visiting for the first time. Pastor of Family Ministries Kevin Buie oversees the family ministries, with Jerad White serving as Children's Pastor, Kara Dungo as Preschool Minister, and Charmey Buie as Children's Ministry Associate.
Students, the HOUSE, and Mosaic
The student ministry serves grades 7 through 12 and combines Bible teaching with the relationships that develop around it. At 9:15 a.m., high school LifeGroups are divided by grade and gender, while one co-ed group gathers for seventh and eighth graders. At 11:00 a.m., the arrangement reverses, with separate middle school groups by grade and gender and a co-ed high school group. On Wednesday nights during the school year, the HOUSE gathers at 6:30 p.m. in the Worship Center for teaching, small-group discussion, games, and music in a relaxed, safe setting.
College and Career ministry serves people ages 18 to 24 who are in college, trade school, or beginning a career. Known as Mosaic, it meets for a LifeGroup at 9:15 a.m. in room D072 and worship at 11:00 a.m. Young adults also join Wednesday adult classes and are invited into children's or student ministry service opportunities. The ministry offers biblical studies, retreats, game nights, leadership roles, and mission experiences.
Adult Life, Special Needs, and Recreation
Adult ministries are designed to equip people in any age or stage to follow Jesus in daily life. Alongside Sunday LifeGroups, the church offers specific discipleship ministries for men, women, senior adults, widows, marriage and parenting, and counseling and care. Pastor of Adults Aaron Scarbrough leads this work, while Senior Adult Pastor Robin Butler focuses on ministry with older adults.
Kacey Jackson leads the Special Needs Ministry, which grew from volunteer involvement into a full church ministry. Recreation is also part of church life: Sports and Recreation Pastor Greg Childress oversees Upward Sports, adult sports ministries, and the Fitness Center. The Higher Grounds Coffee Shop provides another informal gathering place on the Forney campus.
Worship Built from Hymns, Praise, and Song
Worship Pastor Mark Warren leads a ministry centered on scriptural, meaningful, encouraging services. The Sunday music combines hymns, praise teams, an occasional choir, and additional seasonal or special music without abandoning the church's blend of traditional and contemporary worship.
Participation is available in choir and vocals, orchestra, the praise team, the praise band, drama, and worship production. Adult choir rehearsal is held on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. The Kids Choir joins with LevelUp for monthly Next Level Leader nights, when children learn songs and explore what it means to lead by example both onstage and offstage. Technical volunteers are trained to support worship and weekly Bible study and discipleship gatherings.
Christian Education from Preschool Through Grammar School
The FBC Forney Christian School is a ministry of First Baptist Church Forney committed to quality education from a distinctly Christian worldview. Its grammar school uses a rigorous curriculum that includes logic and critical thinking, taught by state-certified teachers under an experienced, state-certified head of schools. Daily chapel, Bible classes, spiritual disciplines, and the integration of biblical truth across the curriculum accompany strong relationships with students and families.
The school is deliberately missional: families do not have to attend FBC Forney or identify as Christians to enroll. The grammar school is accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International, and its mascot is the Lion. Cindy Rogers serves as Head of Schools, with Chrissy Jordan as assistant principal.
The FBC Forney Christian Preschool is state-licensed and meets Texas standards. It provides year-round childcare from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, for children ages 8 months through Pre-K. The curriculum combines Bible stories, learning games, phonics, numbers, language development, skills development, and puppets. Bus pickup and after-school pickup are offered in Willett, Henderson, and Claybon, and the summer program serves kindergarten through sixth grade. The preschool's mascot is the Cubs.
Pray, Give, Go: Mission at Home and Around the World
FBC Forney defines evangelism as sharing the good news of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. The church shares that message both locally and globally, beginning in homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods and extending through national and international mission work. Pastor of Local Evangelism and Global Missions Brett Thompson leads this effort.
Mission participation takes several forms. The church provides the simple “God is Holy” gospel guide in English, Spanish, and a children's edition. Its mission tools also call people to pray for more workers, share how they came to know Christ, teach God's Word, and participate in mission trips. Local work includes food distribution, while students, families, and adults have opportunities in domestic and international mission settings.
The annual Pray, Give, Go rhythm treats evangelism as a church-wide practice of prayer, generous giving, and active engagement in God's mission. One hundred percent of the designated missions offering goes to local evangelism and global missions. Funds support church plants in Hawaii and Africa, compassion ministries along the 80/20 corridor, mission trips, leadership training, and the church's partnership with the International Mission Board.
Strengthening the Home Base for the 80/20 Corridor
Senior Pastor Nathan Lino's Take the Land vision places thriving churches at strategic locations along the 80/20 corridor. The strategy combines church planting with compassion ministries, a Christian school, and sports ministries as ways to make Christ known in the surrounding communities.
Strengthening the Forney home base is part of that strategy. The priorities include updating discipleship spaces for preschoolers, children, and teenagers, adding parking, eliminating debt to release more resources for missions and church planting, and acquiring a property near Highway 80 or Interstate 20 for a community center serving large-scale compassion ministries. The emphasis is on making the church's witness both accessible and useful along the corridor.
Baptist Faith and Message 2000
First Baptist Church Forney holds to Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as its statement of primary, non-negotiable beliefs. The Bible is described as divinely inspired, truthful, trustworthy, and centered on Christ. There is one living and true God, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and human beings are created in God's image with full dignity. The church also affirms human freedom and the reality of sin.
Salvation is offered freely to those who receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification, with repentance and faith joined as expressions of grace. True believers are kept by God's power, though they may fall into sin through neglect or temptation. A New Testament church is described as an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers associated by covenant, operating under the lordship of Christ through democratic processes. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons; both men and women are gifted for service, while the office of pastor is limited to men.
The church observes two ordinances: baptism by immersion in water and the Lord's Supper. The first day of the week is affirmed as the Lord's Day for worship and spiritual devotion. The statement also gives importance to evangelism and missions, Christian education, stewardship of time, talents, and possessions, voluntary cooperation among churches, peace, religious liberty, and separation of church and state.
Marriage is defined as the lifelong covenant union of one man and one woman, and children are affirmed as a blessing from the Lord. The social order section calls Christians to oppose racism, greed, selfishness, and vice and to care for orphaned, needy, abused, aged, helpless, and sick people. The statement ends with the expectation of Christ's personal and visible return, the resurrection of the dead, final judgment, and the eternal state of the righteous and unrighteous.
Joining the Life of FBC Forney
Membership is open to people ages 18 and older and follows a five-step process. Candidates must affirm salvation, participate in believers' baptism, attend the introductory Explore First class, meet with a pastoral staff member, and receive final approval from the Board of Trustees. Explore First gives prospective members an inside look at the church's mission, history, vision, structure, ministries, and membership expectations while explaining what membership means.
Explore First meets on the first Sunday of each month at 9:15 a.m. in the Staff Office Conference Room. There is no charge, refreshments are provided, and parents may drop off children in childcare or LifeGroups. Attendance does not obligate anyone to join. The church also offers a New Believers Workshop for people who have recently been saved or baptized, or who want to strengthen their understanding of basic Christian practices: baptism, Bible reading, prayer, and life in the church. Pastor Nathan Lino preaches from the English Standard Version during Sunday morning services.
Giving, Facility Requests, and Digital Access
Giving is available through one-time gifts, recurring online contributions, text-to-give, cash or checks during Sunday worship, and mailed checks. Text GIVE to 972-419-4366, use online giving, or mail checks to 1003 College Street, Forney, TX 75126. The church provides a digital bulletin, online Bible access, sermon archives, and an application for smartphones and tablets. The FBC Forney application supports live worship, giving, event information, prayer requests, and RSVP for Wednesday Night Supper.
The Forney and Elmo campuses make space for weddings, funerals, and other events through staff requests, including requests for a pastor to officiate a wedding. A campus map helps visitors understand the worship, classroom, meeting, and ministry spaces. Beyond the midweek meal at Elmo and food distribution in the Forney parking lot, the church offers Higher Grounds Coffee Shop, the Fitness Center, sports ministries, worship arts, and a variety of service roles.
Across Forney and Terrell, FBC Forney has a recognizable shape: worship that pairs hymns and praise, a substantial prayer life, LifeGroups organized around stages of life, safe places for children and students to belong, Spanish ministry at the Forney campus, education, recreation, and mission. At its center remain the people of First Baptist Church Forney, gathering at 1003 College Street and carrying that shared life into homes, schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, and the wider mission field.