Perched at the corner of Oak and Charlotte Streets in downtown Asheville, First Baptist Church of Asheville is the domed landmark locals point to when they say, simply, "the church with the dome." But inside that 1927 building, designed by architect Douglas D. Ellington and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the congregation has spent generations building something more lasting than stone: a community they call Beautiful Belonging.
The Building That Drew a City
The present sanctuary is the fifth worship facility in the life of First Baptist Church, completed in 1927 and modeled in part on the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. The 65,000 square foot building is rendered in Renaissance style, with abstracted palm leaves worked into much of the interior ornament, a nod to Ellington's sensitivity to the natural setting of the surrounding mountains. The commission was one of the young architect's first major works and helped establish his practice in Asheville, where he would go on to design the City Hall, Asheville High School, and the S&W Cafeteria. Nearly a century later, the sanctuary still functions as the central meeting place for worship, concerts, and the wider life of the church.
Beautiful Belonging: The Identity of the Church
The phrase that captures First Baptist's sense of itself is Beautiful Belonging. It is rooted, members say, in the church's baptismal liturgy: You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own for ever. Three strands make up the vision.
- Belonging to God. A life grounded in Christ's death and resurrection, drawing all people to himself.
- Belonging to one another. Differences become gifts in a community where privilege and partiality give way to solidarity, drawing on Paul's image in 1 Corinthians 12:13.
- Belonging to creation. A call to steward sacred places and consecrate desecrated ones, living in harmony with land and all living things.
The other half of the phrase is Beautiful. The congregation traces God's beauty through the person of Jesus Christ, through the artful expressions of worship, and through those Jesus calls blessed: the poor, the hungry, those who weep, the peacemakers, the persecuted. Five Core Values organize the church around this vision: the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Worship of God, the Authority of the Bible, the Worth of Each Person, and the Call to Service and Missions. The ethos statement names the church as both Baptist and ecumenical, committed to the historic Baptist freedoms of religious liberty, the autonomy of the local church, the priesthood of all believers, democratic governance, and non-coercion in matters of conscience, while remaining open to the wider Christian tradition.
What Worship Is Like
On Sunday mornings at 11:00 a.m., the congregation gathers in the Sanctuary for a service that lasts about an hour. The worship is deliberately liturgical, "the work of the people," scripturally rooted, and shaped by the Church Year: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and the long season after Pentecost. Sermons are lectionary-based, working through appointed Scripture texts and bringing the Bible into conversation with everyday life. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are observed on Sundays throughout the year.
Music is central. The adult choir, handbell choir, and orchestra lead the 11:00 service, and the music stretches from historical hymns of Europe and America to gospel, contemporary worship songs, bluegrass, folk, and global music. Choral anthems are often accompanied by organ, piano, orchestra, or brass. The pastors and chancel choir wear robes; the rest of the congregation does not. Visitors will see expressions of worship that feel at home in Episcopal, Catholic, or Methodist settings, and that is intentional. The church describes itself as an heir to the whole Christian tradition, not only the Baptist one.
"We invite you to join us every Sunday in the sanctuary at 11:00 a.m.," the worship page says. Services are livestreamed on YouTube and available on demand. Reservations are not required. Worship Care for preschoolers is offered during the service.
The Pastoral Team
The pastoral staff includes Dr. Mack Dennis, Senior Pastor, who joined the church in 2016 after doctoral work at Duke Divinity School and five years as pastor of First Baptist Church of Mt. Gilead, North Carolina. His preaching and scholarship focus on faithful responses to division, conflict, and violence, and he edited the anthology The Luminous Word.
Casey Callahan serves as Coordinating Pastor, guiding the congregation's mission and reconciliation work and overseeing the implementation of the Beautiful Belonging vision. A former farm boy from Travelers Rest, South Carolina, and a graduate of Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Casey joined the FBCA staff in 2014.
Dr. Justin Addington is the Pastor of Music and Worship, an ordained minister who came to Asheville after six years as Minister of Music at First Baptist Church of Savannah. A native of Cowpens, South Carolina, he holds degrees from Limestone College, Concordia University, and the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies.
Will Arledge, Pastor of Youth and Young Adults, is a lifelong member of First Baptist who was baptized there in 1993. After time at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Divinity from McGill University, he rejoined the FBCA staff in August 2025.
Amy Stertz, Pastor of Christian Formation and Children, oversees ministries from preschool through adulthood, including Bible study, formation, and family resources.
Dr. Kendra Plating joined the staff on January 20, 2026 as Interim Pastor of Congregational Care, with the intention of becoming the church's permanent Pastor of Congregational Care after a nine-month provisional interim. She previously served for nine years as Minister of Pastoral Care and Counseling at First Baptist Church of Greenville, South Carolina, and as Senior Pastor of First Congregational UCC in Asheville.
Paula Garrett, a Pastoral Resident and chair of the English Department at Warren Wilson College, provides liturgies for worship, helps shape the church's communications, and teaches as needed while pursuing an MDiv at SMU's Perkins School of Theology.
An Open and Affirming Welcome
First Baptist has long proclaimed an unusually expansive statement of welcome. "We joyfully proclaim the sacred worth of all people," the congregation has declared, "and welcome all as beloved children of God, whatever their age, race, physical or mental ability, gender, level of education, marital status, economic circumstance, sexual orientation, and religious background, to participate in all aspects of the life and ministry of our congregation." Both women and men preach and serve as deacons. Baptisms from other Christian traditions are honored; no one is asked to be re-baptized. The church partners with the Alliance of Baptists, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and many interdenominational efforts. As many as half of the members come from non-Baptist backgrounds.
Children, from Cradle to Sixth Grade
Children's ministry meets on the second and third floors of the Children's Building and is led by Amy Stertz. On Sunday mornings, preschoolers (birth through kindergarten) gather for Bible Study from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m., with four classes by age: infants, toddlers, twos and threes, and fours and fives. Worship Care is provided during the 11:00 service. On Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00, Agape Kids welcomes preschoolers (age three through kindergarten) and grade-schoolers (first through sixth grade) for missions, faith development, and worship, with prayer stations during Lent and a focus on the Beatitudes. In summer, the church offers Via Karis Camp, Discovery Camp, PassportKids, and Advocacy Camp.
The Sunday morning service is intergenerational. Children in first grade and older are invited into the sanctuary, where they find worship carts stocked with crayons, children's Bibles, bulletins, and fidget toys to help them engage with the liturgy. The Adult Choir and the Handbell Choir draw additional singers from the children's music program, including the Cherub Choir (age three through kindergarten) and Junior Choir (grades one through six).
Youth Ministry on the Fourth Floor
Rather than separating middle and high school students, the youth ministry intentionally keeps seventh through twelfth graders together. Wednesday Koinonia (6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on the fourth floor during the school year) is built around small groups and honest conversation about what it means to follow Christ. Sunday Bible Study meets at 10:00 a.m. The Via Ecclesia internship immerses select youth in a year of servant leadership and intergenerational ministry. The cohort takes seasonal retreats to Ridgehaven in the fall and Caswell Beach in the spring, with summer camp at Unidiversity on the campus of Maryville College in Tennessee.
Young Adults and College Students
The young adult community is intentionally diverse, drawing young professionals, grad students, couples, singles, parents, and others who identify with the term only loosely. The Karis Class, taught by Casey Callahan, is a year-round Sunday morning Bible study for college students and young adults, with the Sojourners class as another option. The college ministry gathers students who remain in or near Asheville, and reconnect those who move away during holidays and breaks. A Memorial Day weekend retreat at Caswell has become a recent tradition.
Adult Formation: Bible Study, Labyrinth, and Pilgrimage
Sunday morning Bible study for adults offers a mix of age-based and intergenerational classes. Beyond Sunday, the church cultivates spiritual formation through prayer, theological reflection, Sabbath-keeping, spiritual direction, hospitality, and contemplative silence. A labyrinth on the church grounds invites walking meditation, and a new Pilgrimage Team is exploring trips to monasteries and other sacred places. Affinity groups include Christian Crafters, hiking, yoga, Zumba, and a pickup basketball league.
A Music Program Without Parallel
First Baptist's music ministry serves all ages. The mixed-voice Adult Choir (ages 18 and up) rehearses Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and leads the 11:00 worship service, with seasonal masterworks concerts accompanied by orchestra. The FBCA Handbell Choir rings five octaves of handbells and three octaves of handchimes, rehearsing Sundays at 3:00 p.m. The FBCA Orchestra and a youth orchestra give highly skilled instrumentalists a place to lead in worship. Choral Scholars are eight college students who receive $1,000 per semester to sing with the choir and find a "home away from home" at the church.
The Asheville Youth Choirs are a partnership between First Baptist and the Asheville Symphony Chorus. The AYC Concert Choir (grades three through five) and the AYC Youth Chorale (grades six through twelve) rehearse on Sunday afternoons in the church, performing in area churches, civic functions, and seasonal concerts, and touring in the summer. The FBCA Youth Handbell Choir (grades seven through twelve) rehearses Wednesdays from 6:00 to 6:45 p.m. and leads worship on the third Sunday of each month. The Academy for the Arts (AFTA) offers additional arts instruction.
The Center for Faith and Life
Directed by Heather Swanson, M.A., a Spiritual Director, the Center for Faith and Life creates spaces for contemplation, theological study, and the arts. Recent offerings have included an Artist Series in the chapel, a Listening to the Wilderness contemplative hike, a Spring Women's Retreat led by Rev. Tambi Swiney, a Visio Divina session with artist Lauren Wright Pittman, a January series called The Art of Not Being Governed: Revelation for the Rest of Us led by Pastor Mack Dennis, and a December reading and conversation with Jan Richardson hosted with First Congregational UCC. The Center partners with the wider community to host speakers, film screenings, and contemplative events.
School-Age Care: The Child Development Center and First Kids Preschool
The Child Development Center, founded more than sixty years ago as a kindergarten in the church parsonage, now provides full-time care for children from six weeks through Pre-K, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The center, led by Director Jennifer Buchanan, maintains enhanced staff-to-child ratios and observes enhanced ratios below required ones. First Kids Preschool, directed by Bree Welmaker, is a half-day program for children ages one through four, Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., running roughly from September to May. Both programs are ministries of First Baptist Church of Asheville, with the goal of helping children trust they are loved by Jesus and his followers.
Prison Ministry at Western Correctional Center for Women
On the first Sunday evening of each month, a dedicated thirteen-member team from First Baptist leads worship for approximately fifty women at the Western Correctional Center for Women in Swannanoa. Services alternate between Traditional and Contemplative styles. Prayer requests are collected and shared with the FBCA congregation. A five-week Spirituality Group and a weekly Drama/Theater Group extend the ministry.
The Free Market and Lunch at the Crossroads
Every Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the Charlotte Street entrance becomes the Free Market, a free resource room stocked with food pantry items, fresh produce, clothing, and personal care supplies, all at no cost and open to the congregation and the broader community. Partnerships with Trader Joe's and MANNA FoodBank keep the shelves full, and new volunteers of any age are welcome. From 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. the same morning, Lunch at the Crossroads fills the gym with common tables, a hot meal, friendly conversation, and an optional Communion Service in the Chapel at 1:00 p.m. (paused during the month of July). All Souls Counseling provides a counselor on-site, and Equal Plates is a recent partner. FirstShine, a traditional summer day camp for young adults with special needs, brings the church's mission work to life in July.
Helene Recovery: Healing and Hope After the Storm
When Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, First Baptist stepped into a long season of disaster response. The Helene Recovery Service Team partners with N.C. Baptists on Mission on jobs from flooring removal to drywall repair and painting; no construction experience is required. The Helene Hospitality Ministry hosts overnight volunteer groups from other churches, with coordinating hosts and meal sponsors drawn from FBCA's own members. The Thursday Free Market serves as a steady community touchpoint. A long-running partnership with Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Rick Burnett and the local organization Cultivate Abundance added a domestic mission trip to Immokalee, Florida, where the church has worked with migrant farmworker communities in a USDA-designated "food desert" since the fall of 2025.
Journeys of Faith, Service, and Partnership
Beyond Asheville, the church has built a long missionary arc. The partnership with Iglesia Elohim in Las Tunas, Cuba, one of more than forty Alliance of Baptists partnerships with churches in the Fraternity of Cuban Baptist Churches, has lasted since 2014 and involves annual trips in January, water filtration work, and a 2017 youth pilgrimage. In September 2025, a team traveled to Harlingen, Texas, with Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel and immigration lawyer Elket Rodriguez to support refugee families at the U.S.-Mexico border. A return trip to Immokalee, Florida, is planned for November 10-14, 2026. Earlier mission work took teams to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, where they repaired roofs in San Juan alongside Baptists on Mission.
Karis Parenting
The Karis Parenting ministry, led by Director Sam Rogers and Assistant Director Laura Bratton, supports parents and caregivers through a Karis Worship offering alongside parenting classes and resources.
The Peacemakers Team
A Peacemakers Team gathers members around issues of homelessness, voting rights, refugee settlement, economic and racial inequality, gender, hunger, and the environment. The team hosts a time of prayer for the church, community, and country on the third Sunday of each month from 9:15 to 9:45 a.m. in the Chapel or out on the labyrinth, along with book studies and conversations. Most recently, the team led a two-session book club on Money, Lies, and God by Katherine Stewart.
What to Expect on a Sunday Morning
Visitors are greeted at the Atrium doors by the Charlotte Street parking lot and at the main sanctuary doors on Oak Street. Three lots serve the congregation on Sunday mornings: the Charlotte Street lot, the One Oak lot, and the Woodfin lot, with handicapped-accessible parking in the Charlotte Street and Woodfin lots. Ushers hand out orders of worship and help with seating. The dress runs the spectrum, from jeans and sneakers to Sunday dresses and coat and tie, with the church's lighthearted nod that "Adam and Eve were afraid in the garden because they were naked; we encourage you to wear whatever gives you courage."
Bible study for all ages begins at 10:00 a.m. (sometimes listed at 9:45), and worship begins at 11:00 a.m. Bible study classes for adults, youth, and children run simultaneously. Worship Care for preschoolers is available during the service. From I-240, take the Charlotte Street exit; the church sits between the State Employees' Credit Union and the Downtown YMCA.
Joining the Church
Membership at First Baptist is rooted in believer's baptism and profession of faith. Those already baptized in another tradition may join by transfer of letter (if from another Baptist church) or by statement of faith (no rebaptism required). For those who wish to retain membership elsewhere while affiliating with First Baptist, a "watchcare" arrangement is available. Non-members are welcome to participate fully in worship, Bible study, and ministry projects.
Giving and Supporting the Ministry
Online giving is available through the church's giving portal and via PayPal. The mailing address for contributions is 5 Oak Street, Asheville, NC 28801. The 2026 Generosity appeal invites members and friends to underwrite the church's mission through the year, and a Budget Impact Report tracks the four essential categories of the church's life.
Centered on the Downtown, Open to the World
For nearly a century the domed sanctuary at 5 Oak Street has anchored the heart of Asheville. Around it now are weekly rhythms of worship and prayer, children's laughter in the third-floor Sunday school rooms, handbells on a Sunday afternoon, a Thursday Free Market and community lunch, a labyrinth in the Sacred Garden, and the constant exchange of preaching and formation. The field, as the church's own history has always insisted, is the world, and First Baptist continues to step into it as a community of Beautiful Belonging.