First Baptist Church Naples sits on a hundred-acre campus at the corner of Orange Blossom Drive and Livingston Road in Naples, Florida, a stretch of Southwest Florida where orange groves once grew and where, since 1995, the congregation has been building a single, sprawling ministry site that now includes three Sunday worship services in two languages, a college-preparatory academy, and a roster of ministries for every stage of life from the nursery through the 60 Plus group. Locally known simply as First Naples, the church's motto is "You are loved here," and its mission is to help people love Jesus and live for Him every day.
From a Grocery Store Outbuilding to a Hundred-Acre Campus
The story of First Naples begins on November 6, 1945, when Reverend Joseph Engel, his wife and young son arrived from Brookdale Baptist Church in Bloomfield, New Jersey, sent to plant new churches in South Florida. They gathered other Baptist families and held their first worship service in a small outbuilding behind the local grocery store, soon moving into the Naples Women's Club on 11th Avenue South. Just over a year later, on April 7, 1946, twenty-four charter members held their first service in a newly built chapel on 8th Street South, overlooking what is now Cambier Park.
Over the years, the congregation was shepherded by a succession of pastors: Reverend U. Curry Walton (1946-1958), Reverend Robert F. Martin (1959-1969), Reverend Freddie Smith (1970-1977), Reverend Irvin Northcutt (1978-1980), Reverend Max Cadenhead (1982-1991), and Dr. Hayes Wicker (1992-2019). In 2021, First Naples elected its eighth lead pastor, Alan Brumback. The church outgrew its downtown meeting place in 1977 and moved to a twelve-acre campus on Pine Ridge Road; then, in 1995, the congregation purchased one hundred acres of orange groves and relocated to its present home on Orange Blossom Drive.
The same impulse to multiply that brought the church into being has continued to drive its mission. In 1956, the first mission church of the congregation, East Naples Baptist Church, was formed out of First Naples. In 1978, a Spanish Mission was established, and the first services of the Golden Gate mission were launched in 1979. By 1990, a building in Bonita Springs was completed for a Spanish Mission. Today, the church supports twenty-five or more missionaries and mission partners across the globe.
Worship on Sunday Mornings
First Naples gathers for worship on Sundays at 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30 a.m., with each service designed to help people of every generation worship Jesus together. The music ranges from hymns to brand-new worship songs, and the services include congregational singing, prayer, and clear teaching from God's Word. The 8:30 a.m. service offers a warmer, more acoustic worship experience, while the later services feature modern worship led by a full band with contemporary arrangements and production.
A Spanish-language worship service meets at 11:30 a.m. in the Chapel, led by a band and vocal team and offering a chance to worship and hear God's Word in Spanish for those whose heart language is Spanish. The congregation also gathers online through a livestream that follows the same Sunday schedule.
A Spanish-Speaking Congregation
The Spanish ministry at First Naples, identified on the church's Spanish-language pages as First Naples en Español, holds its service in the Chapel at 11:30 a.m. on Sundays. Music is led by a worship band in a modern, Christ-centered style, and the service is open to all. Children's care and preschool are provided during the service, and ministries for children and youth are available.
The Spanish congregation also offers a "Descubre First Naples" (Discover First Naples) class as a first step for anyone wanting to learn more about the church, typically held the first weekend of each month. Spanish small groups gather on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. and on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. for Bible study and community.
Kids and Students
Children from birth through fifth grade are cared for and taught across every hour of Sunday morning. Birth-to-two-year-olds are cared for in the nursery during all service times, while preschoolers (three-year-olds through kindergarten) attend Preschool Worship at 10:00 and 11:30 a.m., and first-through-fifth-graders meet for Kids Worship and small groups. Sunday morning also includes Kids Small Groups at 8:30 a.m. by grade and age.
On Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., AWANA meets for children from age two (by September 1) through fifth grade. The night includes small groups working through handbooks to memorize God's Word, a large-group time exploring the Bible, and an Awana Game Time. Registration includes an Awana book and a T-shirt, and parents are asked to remain on campus during the program. Birth-to-one-year-olds are cared for in the nursery on Wednesday evenings without a need to pre-register. Spiritual milestones woven through the year include a Parent Commissioning class, a First Grade Bible Presentation ceremony, and a First Steps Class that prepares first-through-fifth-graders to understand what it means to be a Christian and to be baptized.
For students in sixth through twelfth grade, the Student Ministry gathers for Connect Groups on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. in the Student Center, with high schoolers also meeting in additional small groups both on and off campus in the evenings. On Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., middle schoolers meet in the Fellowship Recreation Gym and high schoolers in the Student Center, rotating through separate biblical teaching, worship, games, and small group time. The Student Cafe opens at 6:00 p.m. and The Lawn, behind the Student Center with volleyball and gaga pits, opens the same hour. Each summer, both middle and high school students head to Lake Placid Camp and Conference Center for a full week of camp.
Young Adults, Women, Men, and 60 Plus
The Young Adults Ministry serves ages eighteen through thirty with weekly gatherings on Mondays in the Multipurpose Building. The fall rhythm includes The Refuge, a regular worship-and-community night, Worship Nights, and special events such as a Friendsgiving and a Christmas Party. Young adults also gather for Connect Groups during the week.
The Women's Ministry is built around a twice-weekly Bible study that meets on Tuesdays at 9:00 a.m. and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. during the Fall and Spring semesters. The studies include large-group teaching, small-group discussion, and fellowship, with recent studies including "Experiencing God," an in-depth walk through Genesis titled "In the Beginning," and a counseling series called "The Well-Adjusted Personality." On Tuesday mornings, preschool activities are offered from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. for children birth through four years old whose mothers attend the Bible study.
The Men's Ministry meets on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Chapel for large-group teaching and small-group discussion, with men encouraged to identify themselves to a greeter so they can be settled at a table. Both men and women are currently studying "Experiencing God" together during the Fall semester.
The 60 Plus Ministry provides fellowship, luncheons, trips, serving opportunities, and weekend small groups for adults sixty and older. The "PLUS" factor is treated as an acronym drawn from Acts 11:22-24: Prayerful positive presence, Leadership from a mature Christ-like character and life experience, Understanding and wisdom, and Service that benefits peers, the church, and the Kingdom.
Groups for Every Stage
First Naples describes its Groups ministry as the place where a big church feels small. On Sunday mornings, more than thirty adult groups meet on campus at 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30 a.m. for biblical community. Midweek on-campus groups gather on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. across the campus, with Men, Women, Students, and Kids all having their own programming. Home Groups meet in homes, restaurants, coffee shops, and office buildings throughout the week for fellowship and Bible study.
Specialty classes and support groups offered at various times of year include Re|engage, a fifteen-week marriage small group; DivorceCare, a thirteen-week course for those facing separation or divorce; GriefShare, a thirteen-week cycle for those grieving the loss of a spouse, child, family member, or friend; Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered recovery program meeting Thursday nights from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. with Pastor Steve Hayes; Apologetics 101; Financial Stewardship; and Gospel-Centered Parenting.
Sports, Recreation, and the Lawn
Sports Ministry uses athletics to develop men and women of all ages while teaching fundamental skills. Sunday Night Open Soccer takes place from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on the Football Field and is open to fourth graders through adults. Other offerings include a North Collier Men's Softball Team, Jiu Jitsu classes for kids eight and up and adults, After School Youth Pickleball for elementary and middle schoolers, and a Girls Lacrosse Club for grades one through eight. Coaches, referees, and volunteers are invited to serve through soccer, basketball, pickleball, and flag football.
The School of Worship Arts and the Naples Christmas Celebration
The First Naples School of Worship Arts offers private and group lessons for adults and children ages four and older, with weekly thirty- or sixty-minute sessions on the church campus from Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Lessons are available in voice, piano, guitar, violin, viola, cello, flute, tuba, trumpet, French horn, and drums. The school year runs from mid-August through mid-November in the fall, with monthly tuition invoiced and a 25% discount for student instructors. Rooms are equipped with windows, video surveillance, and background-checked instructors.
Each year, the Worship Ministry produces the Naples Christmas Celebration, featuring an Adult Choir, a Student Choir for grades six through twelve, a Kids Choir for grades one through five, a Nativity Cast, and opportunities to decorate the campus. The choirs rehearse on Sunday nights and present the celebration in early December.
Counseling, Recovery, and Prayer Walking
First Naples provides biblical counseling at no charge for individuals, couples, and families, including crisis counseling, pre-marital counseling, and longer-term support. The counseling team integrates biblical principles with psychological knowledge to address emotional, spiritual, and relational challenges. Discipleship and mentoring classes on Bible study, prayer, and apologetics, along with one-on-one mentorship, are available through the Equipping Ministry.
The church's Prayer Ministry invites members to be a "Light" to their closest neighbors, offering a free and confidential Prayer Walking program that pairs participants with a map and list of nearby homes. Members receive emails at the frequency of their choice to pray for their next five neighbors that day. A monthly prayer newsletter shares requests from First Naples ministries and mission partners.
From Naples to the Nations: Local Outreach and Global Missions
First Naples organizes its mission work under the banner of "Neighbors to the Nations," a vision summed up in the words: "First Naples glorifies God by being a multigenerational, multiethnic, multiplying church, raising up the next generation of disciple-makers, church planters, missionaries, and world-changers, to reach our Neighbors to the Nations."
Locally, the church partners with Eden House, a long-term residential program for adult survivors of commercial sexual exploitation rooted in trauma-informed, gospel-centered care; One More Child, which serves children and families in need throughout Florida and internationally; and Protected Harbor, which operates Christian care homes for developmentally disabled adults in Southwest Florida. The church also engages in food distributions, after-school programs, and disaster relief as part of the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief network, having previously partnered with Hearts with Hands after Hurricanes Irma and Ian.
Nationally, First Naples supports church plants such as Radiant Church in Syracuse, New York, and Redemption Church in Orlando, Florida, as well as Primera Iglesia Bautista de Leguísamo in Puerto Rico, the Church at Channelside in Tampa, Man in the Mirror, and the North American Mission Board's Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. Internationally, the church supports missionaries through the International Mission Board and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, along with Compassion International (Tanzania), Paul Ameen (Middle East), Brant and Kara Bauman (IMB London), Jalil Dawood (World Refugee Care), IMB Arabic Pastor Training, TAP India, and IMB Spain.
First Baptist Academy: A College-Prep School on the Same Campus
First Baptist Academy is a ministry of the church and a college-preparatory school that has long been recognized as one of the most highly esteemed in Naples. The academy partners with parents to develop students with Christian character and a biblical worldview, with a uniquely personal approach that sets it apart. The school's mission is to prepare the next generation to boldly stand for Christ, equipping them for life, learning, and leadership. Tours are available by appointment through the Admissions Office.
ESOL: English for Speakers of Other Languages
The ESOL ministry offers weekly English classes on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for anyone who wants to learn English, with registration at $45 including all study materials. Children's activities from birth through twelfth grade are offered at the same time so families can attend together. Volunteers do not need teaching or other language experience; they only need to read and write English and complete statewide Florida Baptist Convention training.
The NEXT Campaign: Five Streams for the Future
NEXT is a three-year stewardship campaign launched in 2026 with a goal of $50 million pledged, organized around five streams that work together to propel the church into the next phase of its mission. NEXT Churches aims to plant one thousand healthy, gospel-preaching churches worldwide. NEXT Leaders builds a church residency program to develop future leaders. NEXT Healing launches a Biblical Christian Counseling Center to serve the church and community. NEXT Excellence strengthens First Baptist Academy with exceptional faculty and full biblical worldview integration. NEXT Home works toward becoming a debt-free church with the best facilities to maximize ministry and mission effectiveness.
The commitment season ran through the month of March 2026, with Commitment Sunday on March 1. Pledges can be fulfilled weekly, monthly, annually, or in any rhythm that fits the giver's plan. NEXT giving is in addition to regular tithes and offerings that fund the church's ongoing ministry budget.
Building for Kids, Young Adults, and the Academy
Construction is underway on the campus for a new building designed to serve several growing ministries at once. The plans call for a Kids Worship space of more than 5,200 square feet, roughly 85 percent larger than current capacity and seating more than 400; FBA Fine Arts and STEM spaces including theater, strings, band practice and performance rooms, and a STEM Lab; a multi-purpose space for special events and worship overflow; and three meeting rooms for discipleship and equipping. The project, with a $10 million financial commitment, will simplify Kids Check-In and improve the First Time Guest process. Renovation of classrooms in the Education Building is also in progress to expand Kids Ministry space.
What We Believe
First Naples is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, while remaining an autonomous, self-governing local church. Each affiliated church is free to choose its own pastor and program; the alignment enables cooperation in spreading the Good News of Jesus around the world. The church aligns with the Southern Baptist Convention's statement of beliefs as set forth in The Baptist Faith and Message.
The doctrinal commitments include the inerrancy and authority of Scripture; one true and living God revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the full deity and humanity of Christ, His virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, ascension, and return; the person and work of the Holy Spirit; the creation of humanity in God's image and the entrance of sin into the human race; salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, including regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification; God's purpose of grace and the perseverance of true believers; the church as an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers with baptism and the Lord's Supper as its two ordinances; the sanctity of marriage as the union of one man and one woman and the family as God's foundational institution; the Lord's Day as a day of worship and devotion; the Kingdom of God; the personal, visible return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and final judgment; the duty of every believer to share the gospel; Christian education; cheerful, systematic, and generous stewardship; the value of cooperation among believers; the Christian's responsibility in society; the pursuit of peace; religious liberty and the separation of church and state; and the unique gift and role of marriage and family.
A Church Covenant and a Path to Membership
Members of First Naples commit to a Church Covenant that calls them to protect the unity of the church by acting in love, refusing to gossip, following the appointed leadership, and being careful in how they teach; to share in the church's responsibility by praying for its health and growth, sharing the Gospel, giving financially, and warmly welcoming visitors; to serve by discovering and using their spiritual gifts, being equipped alongside pastors and lay leaders, and developing a servant's heart; and to support the church's testimony by attending faithfully and living a godly life.
The pathway to membership begins with salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, followed by believer's baptism by immersion, then the Discover First and Membership classes where newcomers learn about the church's mission, vision, and expectations in a relaxed environment. Weddings are performed only for current members, and all weddings conducted by First Naples follow the Biblical guidelines set forth by church leadership.
What to Expect on a First Visit
From the moment a guest steps on campus, greeters are ready to help find a way around. The Next Steps Area inside the main lobby is the first stop for anyone wanting to know more about getting plugged in. The Cafe, located inside the Commons, serves coffee and snacks before and after services and provides a natural gathering place to connect.
Families with children will find nursery care for newborns and preschool activities during all services so parents can focus on worship. Children's check-in is located in the Kids Check-In Hallway, where parents receive a name tag for their child, a teacher copy, and a family security tag required for pick-up. First-time families can pre-register online to make the first visit smoother; allergies and special needs can be noted on the family registration form. Children are welcome in the services as well, and the dress code across services is "come as you are," with jeans and tennis shoes as welcome as the best dress.
Serving and Giving
The church's Serve ministry offers openings in AVL (cameras, lyrics, lighting, and sound), Kids, Guest Services, Communications (photography, videography, graphic design, creative storytelling, and set design), Students, and Worship (singing, instruments, acting, and special productions). With more than 250 leaders serving in Kids Ministry alone each month, the church says it takes an entire congregation to make its ministries run.
Giving can be done in six ways: in the offering box using envelopes from the seat-back pockets, at one of four secure drop boxes located at each end of the Commons, in the Fellowship Hallway, and in front of the Main Office; online through the church's secure giving portal; by text to (239) 360-5030; by mail to the church's mailing address; by transfer of funds or securities directly from a bank, IRA, or brokerage account through Raymond James Financial Services; and through legacy giving plans such as charitable trusts and gifting of stocks or bonds. Categories of giving include the General Budget, Building Fund, Kingdom Missions Offering, Friends of the Lion, and various capital stewardship campaigns such as NEXT.
A Voice for the Naples Community
First Naples calls itself a church that is "serious about joy," the kind that comes from real connection with God and with other people. From the music that ranges across centuries of hymns and the newest worship songs, to the prayers that begin each service, to the classrooms and the gym and the lawn where students play volleyball and gaga ball on Wednesday nights, the congregation's identity is rooted in a single phrase that returns again and again: "You are loved here." In a region of more than a million people across Collier and Lee counties, the church is planting its hope, its resources, and its future on the promise that the best is yet to come.