Why don’t we step back in time to 1957 when the seeds of Fielder Road Church were sown? It began with a farmer’s dream. This farmer owned land at the corner of Fielder Road and Highway 303. He envisioned a church there. He saw its lights on and heard songs emanating from within.
That dream soon became a reality. The people of Fielder Road Baptist Church built that building on the corner. Half a century later Arlington has changed. So has Fielder Church.
The city has grown and so has Fielder Church. The roofline of the original building is still visible. But Fielder Church now worships in multiple venues. These venues are in central and southwest Arlington and Grand Prairie.
The culture of the city has changed. So has the culture of Fielder Church. The church strives to reflect Arlington’s diversity. Fielder takes joy in being a church of many ethnicities and generations. It offers various worship styles in English and Spanish. This supports the church’s belief in celebrating differences. They make room for different opinions ideas and methods. They believe everyone is unique. They believe everyone is needed to make a Kingdom difference.
The city has modernized and so has Fielder Church. The church celebrates its rich history. It embraces many techniques and technologies. These are useful in impacting today’s families.
Some things never change. The core belief is that Jesus Christ is the only hope. He is the hope of meaningful life change. This is not only for Arlington but for the world. Buildings and technologies are useful tools. But people still matter to God. Fielder Church wants to be about the things that matter to God.
The vision is to “Inhale and Exhale the Gospel and make Disciples who do the same.” They inhale the Gospel by reading His word daily. They pray often. They practice the spiritual disciplines.
The Gospel teaches that you are accepted and therefore you obey. The gospel is the message. Jesus was righteous for us when we couldn’t be. By faith in Christ we are made righteous. We are fully accepted by God. The natural result of belief in the gospel is confidence. This confidence comes from knowing we are loved by our Creator.
The exhale of the gospel means living in such a way that people see it in you. They hear it from you. They feel it through you. The goal is to exhale the Gospel through generosity sacrificial serving missional living church planting and multi-site ministry. Fielder Church is one church in many locations. Many people can have access to the Gospel through the church.
Fielder Church has a culture of making “disciple-making” disciples. This process starts in two primary places. These are Discipleship Groups and Community Groups.
Fielder Church is a thriving gospel-centered church. It reaches a diverse community. It has three different campuses in English and Spanish. The church once hired a Student Pastor to lead their student ministry. He had a heart for students. He wanted to guide parents in discipling their students. He had a passion for building a leadership culture. He wanted to reach the next generation.
Fielder Church mirrors the growing diversity of the area. It employs an intentional strategic process over multiple years. This is to change the culture of the church. Fielder now has a membership that’s more than 30 percent Hispanic and African-American. The congregation supports the vision of diversity.
Fielder instituted a service-focused adopt-a-block strategy. This gets the congregation into the neighborhoods it wants to reach. It opened a second campus in nearby Grand Prairie. Fielder began offering a Spanish service. All communication became bilingual. They put Hispanic and African-American leaders in front of the congregation regularly.
People now think of Fielder as the diverse church in the area. The Dallas Cowboys chose it to be their main partner in its annual backpack drive. The NAACP honored Fielder for its community service.