A Church on Central Avenue in Winter Haven
First Baptist Church sits at 198 West Central Avenue in Winter Haven, Florida, where it has welcomed worshipers for generations. The congregation is known locally as the "First Family," a name that has grown up alongside the church itself. Visitors driving down Central Avenue find a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church in the Baptist tradition, with a steady weekly calendar of services and ministries for every age.
Lead Pastor Steven Harness and the pastoral team invite newcomers to come as they are. The church keeps its weekly rhythm simple: gather on Sunday morning, return on Wednesday evening, and stay connected through sermons, notes, and a livestream that reaches the congregation wherever they are. The focus throughout is on teaching the Bible clearly and helping each generation of the First Family follow Christ together.
Sunday Morning at First Baptist
Sunday School begins at 9:30 am, with classes for children, youth, and adults meeting at the same hour. Morning Worship follows at 10:45 am. The two-part Sunday schedule is designed so that families can attend Sunday School together and then move into the sanctuary as a group for the main service. Sunday School classes are arranged by age and stage of life, with separate rooms for the youngest learners, the middle and high schoolers, and adult discussion groups.
The worship gathering is built around expository preaching and congregational singing. Sermon recordings are kept in an online archive so members can revisit past messages or share them with family and friends who could not attend in person.
Wednesday Nights: Three Programs, One Hour
At 6:15 pm on Wednesdays the church comes alive again with three parallel ministries meeting at the same time, so that every member of the family can be in their own program while still being part of one church. The three-track evening is one of the defining rhythms of the week at First Baptist.
Adult Bible Study is open to anyone who wants to dig into Scripture, whether a longtime member or someone just beginning to read the Bible. The study meets weekly and works through books of the Bible in a discussion-friendly setting where questions are welcome.
Echo Students is the middle and high school ministry, led by Associate Pastor of Youth and Education John Beward. Echo gives teenagers a place to study the Bible, build friendships, and talk about how their faith connects to school, family, and daily life. The group is a place where students can be honest about real questions and be supported by peers and a pastor who knows them by name.
Olympians Kids (& Preschool) is the Wednesday night children's program. The name draws on the biblical image of running the race of faith, and the curriculum is built to engage preschoolers and elementary-age children at their own level while giving parents a focused hour of adult study.
The Pastoral Team
Steven Harness, Ph.D., serves as Lead Pastor. Pastor Steve oversees the pulpit and the overall direction of the church, and he personally walks new members through the process of joining the congregation.
George Lockhart, M.Div., is the Associate Pastor of Senior Adults. Pastor George shepherds the ministry to older adults in the church, including fellowship, discipleship, and pastoral care for senior members of the First Family.
John Beward, M.Div., is the Associate Pastor of Youth and Education. Pastor John oversees Echo Students and the educational ministries of the church.
What the Church Believes
First Baptist Church holds to a classic Baptist confession of faith. The church teaches that God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are coequal and one God. The Holy Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, written without error, given to reveal who God is and how humanity can be made right with Him. The Bible has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without error, for its content.
Human beings are made in God's image, but are separated from Him through sin, an attitude of disobedience that has marred every person. Salvation is a free gift, received by faith in Jesus Christ, and is kept secure by God's grace rather than by human effort. Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, performed as an act of obedience and as a prerequisite for church membership. The Lord's Supper is observed as a symbolic remembrance of Christ's death and a looking forward to His return.
The church teaches that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory, that the dead will be raised, and that Christ will judge all people in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell; the righteous will dwell forever with the Lord in Heaven in their resurrected and glorified bodies.
On family and society, the church teaches that marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman, that sexual expression is reserved for that union, and that every human being is created in God's image and therefore worthy of love. Christians are called to oppose racism, greed, selfishness, sexual immorality, and injustice, and to care for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. The church also speaks on behalf of the unborn and contends for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death.
Becoming a Member of the First Family
For those ready to make First Baptist their church home, the "Discovering the First Family" membership class walks new members through the church's beliefs, history, and expectations. The class is taught in three audio sessions, with running times of roughly thirty-three, eleven, and twenty-five minutes. Printed notes are available from the church office, and additional optional studies are offered for those who want to go deeper.
After listening to the three sessions, prospective members complete a Membership Profile and Covenant, return it to Pastor Steve, and schedule a wrap-up meeting with him. The class is offered on a rolling basis with no fixed start date, so anyone interested can pick up the notes whenever they are ready.
Worship Anywhere, Give Anytime
First Baptist Church livestreams its services and other gatherings on the First Family YouTube channel. A sermon archive is available online, with recordings of recent and past messages. Sermon notes for the latest message are also available as a downloadable PDF, alongside the weekly church bulletin.
Giving is handled through Realm and is accessible online at any time. The church also maintains an active presence on Facebook, where news and updates are shared with the wider First Family community, and an online contact form makes it easy to reach the church office with questions or prayer requests.