First Sarasota Church has stood on Main Street in downtown Sarasota for more than a century, and the same heart that gathered five charter members on March 23, 1902 still draws neighbors, parents, students and retirees into the same set of buildings today. The congregation sits at 1661 Main Street in the middle of the city's downtown grid, where its 1962 sanctuary, the historic 1924 chapel next door, a Family Life Center and an Annex create a small campus that has grown steadily with the town itself. First Sarasota describes its purpose in a single line - "By faith, doing whatever it takes to make Christ known" - and the rhythm of services, midweek studies, children's ministries, men's work, women's work, a Spanish-language ministry and a long list of mission partners is built around that sentence.
A 1902 Beginning on Main Street
First Sarasota was organized on March 23, 1902 by five charter members at a moment when Sarasota was, in its telling, "little more than a quaint fishing village without roads or railroad connections." The first sanctuary, dedicated December 14, 1924, still serves the congregation as a chapel and now hosts the Spanish-language worship service. In 1951, property immediately east of the church on Main Street was purchased, and on May 29, 1962 the cornerstone was laid for the present sanctuary that still anchors Sunday worship. In 1980, architects were hired to design the Family Life Center and Education Building adjacent to the northeast corner of the sanctuary, adding classrooms and a fellowship hub. Across the last decade, additional property has been purchased on the south side of Main Street as well as parcels that are continuous with the present campus, and the congregation has set out a master plan to refresh the campus for the next generation.
Three Sunday Mornings, One Family
First Sarasota runs two English-language services and one Spanish-language service every Sunday, and the same sermon is preached in each English gathering.
- Modern Service at 9:30 AM. A worship band leads musical worship in the sanctuary, with the Modern Worship Team gathering at 7:30 AM each Sunday to rehearse before serving.
- Classic Service at 10:55 AM. The First Sarasota choir and orchestra lead musical worship in a more traditional format.
- Servicio en Español at 10:55 AM. Held in the historic 1924 chapel, the Spanish-language service provides worship, biblical teaching, discipleship and fellowship entirely in Spanish.
Sunday morning Bible studies meet at 9:30 and 10:55 AM in English, with a separate adult Bible study offered at 9:15 AM and a Spanish-language Bible study also at 9:15 AM. For those who cannot attend in person, services are livestreamed online, and the church's broadcast, First Sarasota Television, airs at 11:00 AM on ABC 7. A sermon archive stretching back many years is available online, including messages preached by Senior Pastor Dr. John Cross, Associate Pastor Mitchell West, Pastor Kirk Cross and guest preachers.
What a First-Time Visitor Will Find
The most convenient parking is off Second Street, behind the church buildings, with additional parking available on Main Street at no cost on Sundays. Greeters are on hand to help with directions and walk visitors in. The dress code is "come as you are" - everything from casual to dressy can be seen on a Sunday morning. Each service runs roughly 60 to 70 minutes and includes uplifting worship, meaningful prayer, a message straight from Scripture and time to connect with others. Children's programming for birth through fifth grade is offered during each service, with secure check-in at the First Kids Building just steps from the Worship Center. Spanish-speaking families are welcomed into the historic chapel for a service of their own.
Wednesdays: Midweek Prayer, Kids, Students and Parents
Wednesday nights at 6:30 PM are built around a single hour of overlapping programming for every stage of the family.
- Midweek Prayer and Bible Study for adults meets in the Annex Building. Each Wednesday the group opens God's Word, prays for the church, families, community and one another, and welcomes questions from anyone, new or longtime in the faith.
- Parenting with Purpose Class gathers upstairs while their children are downstairs, offering biblical teaching and practical wisdom for raising kids with purpose.
- First Kids Programming for preschool through fifth grade offers a fun, safe and engaging environment built around creative lessons, activities and caring background-checked leaders.
- MVMNT Students brings middle and high school students together for high-energy worship, biblical teaching and small groups.
- Choir and Orchestra rehearse on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM and 6:00 PM respectively, preparing to lead the Classic Service each Sunday.
For those who cannot come in person, a special Wednesday devotional is shared online, with reminders posted on Facebook and YouTube.
First Kids: Birth through Fifth Grade
First Sarasota's children's ministry, called First Kids, is designed to be safe, welcoming and Christ-centered from the day a child is born until they finish elementary school. The Preschool Ministry is located on the first floor of the Children's Building, just steps from the Worship Center, and uses secure check-in and high standards of care. For kindergarten through fifth grade, classrooms are active and dynamic, with laughter, learning, Bible lessons and background-checked volunteers who bring creativity and energy to every gathering. First Kids meets on Sundays at 9:30 and 10:55 AM and on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. A men's Bible study on Monday evenings at 6:30 PM and a women's Bible study on Tuesday mornings at 9:00 AM round out the family-discipleship rhythm the church recommends to parents.
MVMNT Students: Middle and High School
MVMNT is First Sarasota's youth ministry for sixth through twelfth grade, meeting on Sundays from 5:00 to 7:00 PM and on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM in the Family Life Center. The program is built around creativity, biblical teaching, live music, games and competitions, and the relationships that grow out of a community of peers and leaders. Students are invited to ask tough questions, grow spiritually and belong to a supportive group that walks with them through the middle and high school years.
Young Adults, Young Families and Adult Bible Studies
For young adults in their twenties and thirties, First Sarasota hosts a monthly gathering on the last Thursday of every month from 7:00 to 8:30 PM that introduces the theme small-group Bible studies will carry through the rest of the month. The nights alternate between biblical teaching and discussion, live worship, games and simple hangouts. Smaller groups and informal meet-ups fill the rest of the month, including Saturday morning beach devotionals, lunch after the gathering, pickleball and prayer, and conversations around living rooms. Communication runs through the church's app, Church Center.
The Young Families ministry exists to help parents lead their children into a strong faith foundation. Parents meet on Sunday mornings at 9:30 and 10:55 AM and again on Wednesday nights at 6:30 PM for the Parenting with Purpose class, while their children are cared for in First Kids. Adults more broadly find community through Sunday morning Bible studies at 9:15 and 10:55 AM and a steady calendar of small groups throughout the week, with the full menu of groups kept current through the church's online directory.
Ministerio en Español
First Sarasota's Spanish-language ministry exists to share the love of Christ and help believers grow in faith inside a family-like, welcoming environment. The congregation meets on Sundays in the chapel for Bible study at 9:15 AM and worship at 10:55 AM, with worship, biblical teaching, discipleship and fellowship all happening in Spanish. The ministry invites anyone who walks through the door to connect, grow and serve alongside other followers of Jesus, no matter where they come from.
A Doctrinal Compass Rooted in the Baptist Faith and Message
First Sarasota teaches in line with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. The church holds that the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man, that God exists eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that man is created in God's image and has fallen into sin, and that salvation is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior through repentance and faith. Regeneration, justification, sanctification and glorification are set out as the broad shape of salvation. A New Testament church is described as an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper. Christian baptism is taught as the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's death to sin, burial of the old life and resurrection to walk in newness of life.
The church's five core values summarize the application: Worship, seeking intimacy with God; Relationships, leading others into an authentic relationship with Christ; Discipleship, equipping one another to share their faith; Fellowship, strengthening and caring for one another with a Christ-like love; and Ministry, serving others using spiritual gifts and financial resources.
Senior Pastor and Staff
Dr. John Cross, First Sarasota's senior pastor, became a follower of Jesus at age 11 at church camp and began preaching by 17. He graduated from Mercer University in 1986 and from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity in 1990 and a Doctor of Ministry in 2006. He served as President of the Florida Baptist Convention Pastors' Conference in 1994 and as President of the Florida Baptist State Convention in 2009 and 2010, and has served Baptist congregations in Georgia, Florida and Texas across more than three decades.
Joining Dr. Cross on the staff team are Dr. Keith McBroom as Senior Associate Pastor; Mitchell West as Associate Pastor of Ministries; Courtney West as Director of Worship; Lisa Kelliher as Director of Children's Ministry and First Impressions; Alex Salcedo as Director of Student Ministry; and Josh Ewing as Director of Technology.
Ministry Partners Around the Corner and Around the World
First Sarasota supports a network of mission and ministry partners that extend the congregation's reach beyond Sarasota. Locally and regionally, the church works alongside the Florida Baptist Convention, One More Child, the Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center, Loving Hands (a two-year residential program for men working through life-controlling issues) and Baptist University of Florida. Globally and across North America, the church cooperates with the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board, the sending agencies of the Southern Baptist Convention.
A Capital Vision: Whatever It Takes
First Sarasota has set out a phased master plan to refresh its buildings and grounds while preserving the character of a downtown church on Main Street. Phase 1 focuses on renovating and restoring the 1962 sanctuary - bringing the building up to current city code, installing a new elevator for handicap access to every level, replacing electrical, plumbing and mechanical infrastructure, refreshing the steeple and updating every interior finish. The same phase includes removing the existing retail buildings on Main Street and replacing them with a 1,000-person grass park for concerts, family celebrations and outreach events. Later phases will add a new Welcome Center and coffee shop, expanded student ministry areas, family baptistry spaces and other features drawn from the broader vision. The architects are led by Don Lawson of the Lawson Group, and the contractor is DeAngelis Diamond.
How to Give, How to Connect
First Sarasota accepts tithes and offerings during Sunday services - with tap-to-give tags on chairs, cash and check envelopes, and giving stations near the entrances - as well as through online giving. Recurring and one-time gifts can be set up through the church's online giving system, and statements are accessible through the Church Center account. Beyond cash gifts, the church accepts real estate, business interests, collectibles, art, vehicles, stocks, IRA distributions and charitable gift annuities. Anyone wanting to plan a visit, become a member, follow Christ in believer's baptism, volunteer on a team or join a small group can fill out an online connect card, and a team member will be in touch.
First Sarasota Church is located at 1661 Main Street in downtown Sarasota. The central office, at 1670 Main Street Suite 200, is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The church can be reached at (941) 365-2846 or info@firstsarasota.org.