Helping You Know and Follow Jesus
First Baptist Church Farmers Branch sits on William Dodson Parkway in Farmers Branch, Texas, a few minutes from the heart of the Dallas suburbs. The church's own mission statement is short and direct: Helping You Know and Follow Jesus. Everything from the Sunday schedule to the way ministries are structured is built around that aim. Sunday mornings are designed to help people who attend encounter him; Sunday evenings are designed to help believers follow him into Monday and the rest of the week.
The staff describes the church as a place where families flourish, and the calendar is built with that goal in mind. Lead Pastor Jordan Whittington, Family Minister Cooper May, and Worship Minister Micaiah Kelly lead a congregation that gathers weekly for worship and then splits into age-appropriate groups for teaching and community.
A Rhythm of Sundays and Beyond
The week centers on three regular touchpoints.
- Sunday morning worship at 10:00 am in the main worship room, with age-appropriate groups for kids during and after the service.
- Sunday morning groups at 11:15 am, an hour of Sunday School-style classes that pick up after worship ends.
- Equipping Nights at 5:00 pm each Sunday evening, a second gathering that runs to about 6:30 and is geared toward practical application of faith. Kids and students meet at the same hour in their own programs.
Beyond Sunday, the staff points to midweek groups that meet throughout the week, a Wednesday night prayer meeting that students are encouraged to attend, and a daily devotional sent by email at 6 am on weekdays. Those who want a deeper study can work through the Foundations New Testament reading plan (F260), which walks through the New Testament in a year one chapter at a time, with a recommended starting point in the book of Colossians.
Worship That Engages the Whole Family
Sunday morning worship is the anchor of the week. The church describes it as a time to praise God for who he is and what he is doing, and a time to be comforted, corrected, and compelled by the Word of God. Worship Minister Micaiah Kelly leads a team of musicians, and the services blend contemporary music with preaching aimed at shaping how people live during the week.
First-time families are encouraged to worship together. Kids from age 5 through fifth grade begin the service with their parents and are dismissed partway through to Little Church, an age-appropriate program with a Bible lesson. Younger children, from birth through age 4, can either stay with their parents for the whole service or be dropped in the church nursery before worship begins. The nursery opens at 9:45 am on Sunday mornings and at 5:00 pm on Sunday evenings, and is staffed each week by background-checked workers in a secured space with age-appropriate toys and learning materials.
Kids, Students, and the Family Ministry
Family Ministry is the connective tissue of the church. Family Minister Cooper May frames the work around helping parents step confidently into the role of primary disciple-maker for their children. The aim is not to hand off faith to a program but to walk alongside moms, dads, and kids as they all grow.
For kids, the ministry has two weekly touchpoints. On Sunday mornings, Little Church gives children a chance to learn who Jesus is at their own level during the worship service. On Sunday evenings, KidsClub meets at 5 pm with worship, a Bible lesson, games, and crafts, all designed to help kids one day choose to follow Jesus on their own. Every teacher is background-checked and equipped to teach Scripture in ways kids can remember.
For students, the ministry centers on a Sunday evening youth group that runs from 5:00 to 7:30 pm with a Bible study, games and sports, and laid-back hangout time. Students are also expected to participate in Sunday morning worship, the post-service groups, and the Wednesday night prayer meeting. The goal, in the church's own words, is to see students make their faith their own and send them off as disciple-makers into the world.
Equipping Believers on Sunday Nights
The Sunday night gathering is set apart from the Sunday morning service by intent. Where the morning gathering is about hearing from God, the evening gathering is about putting it into practice. From 5:00 to 6:30 pm, adults gather for an Equipping Night focused on tangible application of faith, the kind that changes how a person works, loves, speaks, and thinks.
The church is candid about why this matters: in their reading, the broader church in America is losing ground because believers struggle to apply what they believe. The Sunday night hour is treated as a workshop for the Christian life, a place to pick up practical tools and to be in community with others walking the same road. For parents with young children, free childcare is offered during selected events like the Men's Cornhole Tournament and Trash to Treasure, so the whole family can participate.
Growing Spiritually in the Spaces Between Sundays
First Baptist Farmers Branch leans heavily on rhythms outside the building. A weekday devotional email arrives in subscribers' inboxes at 6 am each morning, with the goal of helping readers engage with God as part of a daily journey rather than a once-a-week task. The devotional writer, who is on the church staff, is honest that the word quiet time can feel like church jargon; the goal is simply a time of day to stop, focus the mind and heart on God, pray, and engage with Scripture.
The staff offers practical help for anyone wanting to build that habit. For Bible reading, the recommendation is to start in Colossians, reading one chapter (or even half a chapter) a day with a journal and a small set of reflection questions, then move into the F260 reading plan. For prayer, the suggestion is to start talking to God out loud or in the head, find times and a place with minimal distractions, and try the ACTS prayer model: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. These guides are openly available on the church's Time with God page for anyone who wants to use them.
Block Parties, Trivia Nights, and Best Week Ever
Outside the regular schedule, the church keeps a steady calendar of community events. Throughout the warmer months, Neighborhood Block Parties move from street to street across Farmers Branch, with gatherings past West Fork, Chapel View, Branch Crossing, and Brookhaven neighborhoods on Epps Field Road, Cinco Street, Selma Lane, and Southern Pines Drive. Each event runs from 6:00 to 7:00 pm and is open to whoever lives nearby.
Sunday night Trivia Nights are held a few times a year as a team-based, Jeopardy-style evening for the whole family. A Men's Cornhole Tournament brings men together in the front parking lot with grilled hot dogs, burgers, and cold drinks, along with free childcare for dads who want to play. Trash to Treasure is a community garage sale in two flavors: donating items to be sold or shopping at the event, with free childcare during the busiest hours.
For children, the highlight of the summer is Best Week Ever, a weeklong day camp that fills five days with learning how God is the best, games, crafts, and snacks. The camp runs 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday, for kids who have completed kindergarten through fifth grade, with all leaders trained in background screening and safe-kid policies.
Once a year, the church's Women's Conference gathers women for a one-day event called Pearls of Wisdom, with speakers, worship, time in community, and a curated shopping experience with local vendors.
What the Church Believes
First Baptist Farmers Branch keeps its statement of beliefs tight and easy to read. The church affirms one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who has revealed himself through creation, the Bible, and ultimately through Jesus Christ. It teaches that every human being is made in the image of God and so has inherent worth and dignity. It confesses that all of humanity has sinned and that sin has broken fellowship with God and all of creation.
Salvation, the church teaches, is found by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The church is understood as the body of Christ, sent to share the gospel with all nations and to reflect Christ in the world. Finally, the statement affirms that God created everything that is in the universe, the heavens and the earth, from nothing, and that he is sovereign over his creation.
Lead Pastor Jordan Whittington is pursuing an MDiv at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the church's reading and ministry rhythms reflect that broadly evangelical and Reformed-friendly Baptist tradition.
The Staff and How to Connect
Three staff members shape most of what happens at First Baptist Farmers Branch. Jordan Whittington serves as Lead Pastor. Originally from Alabama and a graduate of the University of Alabama, he completed his Master of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham and has served as a youth, college, and adults pastor. He and his wife Carlin have a young son named Cooper.
Cooper May serves as Family Minister. A Texas native who grew up mostly in Alexandria, Virginia, he came back to Texas for his undergraduate work at Texas A&M and is pursuing an MDiv in Christian Ministry at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has worked in music, youth, and children's ministry and is especially focused on adult discipleship and Christian education.
Micaiah Kelly serves as Worship Minister. Originally from Savannah, Georgia, he graduated from Samford University with a Bachelor of Arts in Worship Leadership and leads the church's music ministry alongside a team of musicians.
Anyone wanting to visit can find the church at 13017 William Dodson Parkway in Farmers Branch. The phone number is 972-247-1771, and the office email is office@fbcfb.org. Visitors can also pre-register their children before a first visit through a form on the church's Kids page, and giving is offered online, in the offering box on Sunday, or by mail to the office. Sermons are posted on the church's YouTube channel and podcast feed so the teaching can travel with the congregation through the week.