About Our Church
Welcome to Selma Baptist Church! We offer a diverse selection of programs for every member of your family to get involved and connect with our fellowship. Whether you're looking to explore your faith or participate in activities, there’s something here for everyone. We invite you to join us and even serve alongside our community, sharing your unique gifts and talents. We look forward to welcoming you and your family to Selma! New Here?GiveOur Mission & Vision
Our vision and mission is to help connect people to faith
At Selma Baptist Church, our mission is to Love God, Love People, and Live Sent, beginning with our local community. We believe that to truly make a difference, we must start by serving those around us. Our commitment to loving God and others drives our efforts to engage in meaningful local missions, addressing needs and sharing hope within our own neighborhoods. By focusing on local outreach, we build a strong foundation of compassion and service that extends to broader missions, embodying our call to live sent and make a positive impact in the world.
Our Goals
At Selma, we are committed to the mission of making disciples of all nations, as commanded by God. This core belief influences everything we do, from our weekly programs on campus to our local and global mission efforts. Each initiative is designed to help people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. If you’re seeking a church that will support and equip you in your journey with Christ, we warmly invite you to join us as we work together to fulfill this disciple-making mission.
Sunday Morning
Connect Groups
are a great way to get to know others and dive into the Bible together. These groups provide a welcoming and supportive environment where you can explore your faith and find real answers through Scripture. It’s all about building genuine relationships and feeling connected through Christ.
Our worship service
is a chance for us to come together and express our faith. Each Sunday, we gather to praise God through prayer, music, and teaching from the Bible. It’s not just something we do once a week; it’s an extension of our everyday lives and our commitment to living out our faith.
Kids Church
is designed to offer a meaningful experience for children. They begin the service with their parents and then join a special time of teaching that’s crafted just for them. Using the Gospel Project curriculum, we help kids learn about the Bible in a way that’s engaging and age-appropriate.
Wednesday Nights
Selma Kids
Our growing kids’ ministry offers fun and meaningful activities that help children learn and grow in their faith. It’s a great place for kids to connect with others and explore their relationship with the Lord.
Selma Student Ministry
Teens meet at 6:30 PM for a time of fellowship, inspiring teaching, and worship. It’s a chance for them to engage in their faith and build lasting friendships.
Adult Gathering
Each Wednesday at 6:30 PM, adults come together for prayer and fellowship. It’s a welcoming space where you can connect with others and support each other in prayer.
Our Story
How it all started…
Selma Baptist Church was established about 1872 when travelers taking supplies to and from the Chattahoochee River near Columbia, Alabama would camp and build a “brush arbor” located on Old Taylor Road. This seemed to be a good stopping place for travelers as a spring was nearby. The campers held worship services and as the settlement grew, so did the church. The membership of the church for the year 1886 was 94.
Young Folsom, a Confederate veteran suggested the name “Selma Baptist Church”, naming it after the town in west-central Alabama where he had served in the war. This was the name chosen.
About 1904, three acres of the present site was deeded to the congregation for a church, schoolhouse, and a cemetery. In 1915, a two-story school and a steep-roofed church were built to replace the small building first erected on the site. The pastor’s salary for the year of 1915 was $61.70 and the value of the church property was $1,000.00.
In 1923 a storm demolished the school building and heavily damaged the church. They continued to use the church until 1933 when a larger one-room church building was constructed. In the early years the church had “Preaching” on the first Sunday of the month and “Church School” every Sunday. Later, “Preaching” was held twice a month and B.Y.P.U. (Baptist Young People Union), which later became known as Training Union and is now Discipleship Training, was added weekly. Baptisms were performed in nearby “swimming holes” located on various members property. Homecoming was traditionally observed on the firstSunday in July followed by a one- or two-week revival.
Through the years additions were added to include educational classrooms, staff offices, and a sanctuary that seats 350. In 2002 the Family Life Center was completed which includes several educational rooms, gym, and fellowship hall.
As we enter the 21st century, God is blessing our church in miraculous ways. We are growing, people are being saved and several exciting new ministries are being introduced. We stand in awe of what God has done in the past. As we trust Him for the future, we recognize that “our history” page is not yet complete….
Selma Baptist Church
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, “let us lay aside every weight, and sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God”.
Hebrews 12:1-2
WE EMBRACE BIBLICAL AUTHORITY
Scripture is inspired by God and it’s our full and final authority on all matters of faith and practice.
WE EMBRACE PRAYER
We are a church that prays, believing that prayer is the power source behind everything that happens in our ministry.
WE EMBRACE GRACE
Our salvation is received by the grace of God and not by our self-effort, and that shapes our acceptance and interaction with others.
WE EMBRACE AUTHENTICITY
Because none of us are perfect, we acknowledge both our strengths and our weaknesses as we pursue holiness and unity as a church. Truth-telling and biblical conflict resolution are essential to relational authenticity.
WE EMBRACE EXCELLENCE
Through forethought and intentionality, we pursue excellence in our desire to honor God and inspire people.
WE EMBRACE PEOPLE
People matter to God, so they matter to us. Our words and actions will demonstrate our love for God by loving others, including those outside the faith.
WE EMBRACE A KINGDOM-MINDSET
We partner with other churches and organizations and creatively embrace new methods to reach more people for Christ.
WE EMBRACE GENEROSITY
We serve a generous God and want to reflect Him in being generous with our time, spiritual gifts and finances.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, “let us lay aside every weight, and sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God”.
Hebrews 12:1-2
Who We Are
Our Team & Leadership
Our Lead Pastor: Jimmy Dean
Pastor
Jacob McFadden
Student Pastor
Cathy Yeomans
Ministry Assistant
Core Beliefs
What We Believe
The following are the core beliefs of Selma Baptist Church | Dothan, AL based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.
God the Father
We believe that God the Father is Creator and Ruler over all the universe. God the Father is one God who has eternally existed co-equally with God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He is father to all who are a part of the family of God, and He is fatherly in his attitude toward all men.
God the Son
We believe that Jesus is the Son of God. He has eternally existed co-equally with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. We believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus lived a sinless life, yet He was tempted in every way just as we are. We believe Jesus died on the cross as the propitiation for our sins. Jesus was raised from the dead to display His power over sin and death. Jesus ascended to Heaven where He is now at the right hand of God. Jesus is fully man and fully God and He will return to judge and rule over all of creation.
God the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is fully God and an equal person within the Trinity, that the Holy Spirit inspired the writing of Scripture and continues to illuminate the Bible for believers today. His work includes convicting individuals of sin, drawing them to salvation, and bringing about the new birth or regeneration. The Spirit permanently indwells every Christian from the moment of conversion, sealing them for salvation and empowering them to live a holy, Christlike life. He produces spiritual fruit, gives spiritual gifts for the building up of the church, and guides believers in understanding God’s will. The primary role of the Holy Spirit is to point people to Jesus Christ, empower the church for mission, and sustain believers in their walk with God.
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the free gift of God found in Jesus Christ that cannot be earned and is available to all people. Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the grave to defeat sin and death. While sin separates us from God, by His death and resurrection Jesus reunites us with God. To be saved, one must repent of sin and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. Accepting Jesus as Lord of your life is the only way to be a part of the family of God. We believe there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we can be saved.
The Bible
We believe the Bible is the Word of God (both the Old and New Testament). The Scriptures are “alive and active” and “sharper than any double-edged sword.” We believe the Bible was written by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We believe the Bible has one villain: satan, one hero: Jesus, one theme: redemption, and one purpose: the glory of God! The Bible is not a random collection of events, but one big story that points to salvation through Jesus Christ. The Bible is all-sufficient, all-inspired and perfectly put together without error by God.
Revelation
God has revealed himself to us through his son, Jesus Christ, who is the visible image of the invisible God, the holy scriptures, and through all of creation itself.
Mankind
We believe that man is created in the image of God. Every human life is valuable to God with a special plan and purpose for their lives. God created man to glorify Him and to be in perfect union with Him; however, man, beginning with Adam, is separated from God through sin. It is the desire of God that all men be saved and reconnect in a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
The Fall
When Adam and Eve chose not to obey God, they ceased to be what they were made to be and became distorted images of God. This caused them to fall out of fellowship with God, and fractured all of creation ever since that time.
Resurrection
Jesus Christ is returning one day to judge both the living and the dead and to usher in the fullness of God’s kingdom on earth.