About Us
In the book, "Taking God at His Word," Kevin DeYoung states, "For Jesus, Scripture is powerful, decisive, and authoritative because it is nothing less than the voice of God." Everything at First Baptist flows from this statement. It is in the Word of God that we come across the good news that Jesus Christ has come to the world to save us from our sin. This message is what we often refer to as the gospel. The gospel is what shapes our ministry - from corporate worship to preaching and even children's ministry. First Baptist Church is a community of people who gather together to worship God and live out the Great Commandment here in Kinston and throughout the world. We exist to know Christ and to make Him known. We do this by engaging our community with the gospel, connecting people to small groups, and equipping them to serve the Lord.
What You Will Find at FBC:
- A loving and kind church
- Sunday School and Small groups for all ages
- Expository preaching
- Engaging worship
- A commitment to missions
- Family ministry
- A church that is centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ
First Baptist Church is associated nationally with the Southern Baptist Convention and locally with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and the Neuse Baptist Association in Kinston.
We have adopted the following doctrinal statements as our official theological positions:
Baptist Faith and Message 2000
Nashville Statement on Sexuality
Statement on Social Justice & the Gospel
Meet our Team
Pastor Jon Hoover
Senior Pastor
Pastor Jon has been the Senior Pastor here since 2013. He has served in ministry full-time since 2005 in churches in Georgia and Tennessee, as well as serving on the Executive Committee of the Sullivan Baptist Association as the Chairman of Associational Youth Ministries. Jon has a degree in Biblical Studies and Philosophy from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity and a Th.M in Homiletics from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been married to Motsy since 2005 and has four children - Asher, Lorelai, Micah and Charlotte.
Jon believes in expository preaching that explains the Word of God and applies it to the lives of those in church. Jon is also member of the Evangelical Homiletics Society and the Evangelical Missiological Society. both of which are academic societies formed for the exchange of ideas related to the instruction of biblical preaching and missions. In his spare time, Jon enjoys fishing, backpacking, camping, and spending time with friends and family.
You can contact Pastor Jon at pastor@fbckinston.org
Megan McLawhorn
Director of Music
Megan has been singing since she was 6 years old, when she did her first solo at church. She has grown up singing in school, church choirs, and special programs in college. Megan was the choir director of her former church, Glen Raven Baptist, for 13 years until they merged with First Baptist. She has been married to her husband Billy since 2015 and they have a son, Gabriel. In her spare time, Megan enjoys reading, spending time with friends/family and, of course, singing with a community choir. Her favorite Bible verse is Psalm 100.
You can contact Megan at music@fbckinston.org
Cheryl Onidi
Church Secretary
Cheryl is our church secretary and began working with us in 2016. She comes to us with a background in finance and helps with the administration and finances of the church.
Cheryl enjoys music, the beach, and spending time with her grandchildren.
You can contact the church office at office@fbckinston.org