Faithful Word Baptist Church is an independent Baptist church in the Phoenix, Arizona area. The church describes itself as an old-fashioned, fundamental, King James Bible-only, soul-winning Baptist church and emphasizes preaching, evangelism, biblical teaching, and a family-integrated approach to church life. It is led by Pastor Steven L. Anderson.
The church has attracted attention because of its distinctive theological positions and the public activities and statements of its pastor. Understanding Faithful Word Baptist Church therefore requires looking at both its history and its stated beliefs rather than treating it simply as a generic Baptist congregation.
What Is Faithful Word Baptist Church?
Faithful Word Baptist Church is a local, independent Baptist church serving the Phoenix area. According to its official website, the congregation describes itself as a New Testament church that seeks to reach the local community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It specifically identifies itself as independent, fundamental, and King James Bible-only.
The church’s stated approach differs from that of many contemporary Christian congregations. Its website says that visitors should not expect a contemporary or liberal style of church and instead describes its worship and teaching as traditional and centered on biblical preaching.
The church also describes itself as family-integrated, meaning that its approach to church life places significant emphasis on families participating together rather than dividing all activities according to age groups.
Location
Faithful Word Baptist Church is currently located at 330 N. 33rd Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85009.
The church’s official website states that it moved to this location on September 21, 2025. Earlier materials associated the congregation with Tempe, Arizona, including an address on West Southern Avenue.
The current church schedule listed online includes Sunday morning services at 10:30 a.m., Sunday evening services at 6:00 p.m., and Wednesday evening services at 7:00 p.m., based on Arizona time.
Pastor Steven L. Anderson
Steven L. Anderson is the pastor of Faithful Word Baptist Church and is closely associated with the congregation’s identity.
The church’s official website identifies Anderson as its pastor and provides sermons, live services, and other ministry resources through its online platforms.
Anderson’s preaching and public statements have also received considerable attention outside the congregation. His positions on biblical interpretation, social issues, government, and other subjects have contributed to public discussion about the church.
When describing such matters, it is useful to distinguish between the church’s documented doctrinal statements and outside characterizations of the congregation or its leadership. The church itself publishes its beliefs and theological positions on its official website.
King James Bible Focus
One of the defining features of Faithful Word Baptist Church is its commitment to the King James Version of the Bible.
The church’s doctrinal statement says that it believes the King James Bible is the Word of God without error. Its broader statement of faith describes the Bible as the final and authoritative source for matters of faith and practice.
This position places the congregation within a particular stream of independent fundamental Baptist Christianity that gives especially strong emphasis to the authority and verbal accuracy of Scripture.
The church’s services consequently place substantial importance on Bible preaching and teaching.
Baptist Theology
Faithful Word Baptist Church identifies itself as Baptist and holds several beliefs traditionally associated with Baptist theology.
According to its doctrinal statement, the church believes that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and that a person must be born again through faith in Christ. It also teaches the eternal security of believers, commonly summarized as the belief that someone who has genuinely received salvation remains saved.
The church practices believer’s baptism by immersion. Its doctrinal statement explains that baptism is intended for someone who has already believed and been born again and that baptism itself does not provide salvation.
These beliefs distinguish the church from Christian traditions that practice infant baptism or understand baptism as part of the process by which a person receives salvation.
Beliefs About the Church
Faithful Word Baptist Church takes a strongly local-church position.
Its doctrinal statement rejects the concept of a universal church consisting of all Christians everywhere. Instead, it defines the church as a local, visible assembly of born-again and baptized believers.
According to its statement of faith, the mission of the local church includes evangelism, baptizing believers, teaching Scripture, maintaining biblical truth, providing fellowship, and glorifying God.
This emphasis on the local church is an important part of the congregation’s Baptist identity.
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are treated as ordinances of the church rather than methods of obtaining salvation.
The church teaches baptism by single immersion in water following conversion. It views baptism as a symbolic representation of identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The church also observes the Lord’s Supper using unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine. Its doctrinal statement describes these as symbols representing Christ’s body and blood and says that the observance has no saving merit.
Evangelism and Soul Winning
Evangelism is another major feature of Faithful Word Baptist Church.
The church describes itself as a soul-winning Baptist church, reflecting its emphasis on actively sharing the Gospel and encouraging people to accept its understanding of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Its stated mission for the local church includes evangelizing the world and teaching biblical doctrine.
This emphasis can also be seen in the church’s online resources, which include preaching materials and information about its evangelistic activities.
Preaching and Worship
Faithful Word Baptist Church emphasizes traditional preaching and congregational worship rather than contemporary church programming.
The church’s website describes its services as centered on biblical preaching and presents sermons as an important part of its ministry. Its online platform also provides live streams of regular services.
For people familiar with independent fundamental Baptist churches, this approach can include extended Bible preaching, congregational singing, evangelistic messages, and a strong emphasis on doctrinal teaching.
Online Ministry
Faithful Word Baptist Church has developed a substantial online presence.
Its official website provides access to live services, audio preaching, foreign-language resources, music resources, church information, and links to several social media and video platforms.
The church currently streams its services online, including Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening services.
Online preaching allows the church’s sermons and theological material to reach an audience beyond its physical congregation in Arizona.
Doctrinal Distinctives
Faithful Word Baptist Church has a number of theological positions that distinguish it from other Baptist and evangelical churches.
Its published doctrinal statement includes belief in the Trinity, eternal security, salvation by grace through faith, believer’s baptism, and the local-church model. It also explicitly rejects Calvinism and several other theological positions that it considers inconsistent with its interpretation of Scripture.
The church also identifies itself with biblical separation, a doctrine that emphasizes separation from teachings, practices, churches, and organizations that it considers doctrinally compromised. Its published statement specifically discusses separation from modernism, ecumenicism, the Charismatic movement, and other forms of theological compromise.
Social and Cultural Positions
The church’s doctrinal statement also contains positions concerning abortion, sexuality, family, government, and other social issues.
For example, the published statement says that the church believes life begins at conception and states opposition to abortion and several reproductive technologies. It also contains specific teachings concerning homosexuality and civil government.
These positions are part of the church’s publicly documented theology and help explain why Faithful Word Baptist Church is sometimes discussed beyond the context of local church activities.
Faithful Word Baptist Church and Public Attention
Faithful Word Baptist Church has received significant public attention because of Pastor Steven Anderson’s public statements and the congregation’s positions on various political, social, and religious issues.
Those discussions often involve interpretations of the church’s beliefs, its pastor’s statements, and the broader independent fundamental Baptist movement. Such descriptions can differ depending on the source and its perspective.
For a factual understanding of the congregation, its own published doctrinal statement provides the clearest direct record of what the church says it believes.
External sources can provide additional context about the church’s public profile and history, but their descriptions should be distinguished from the church’s own statements.
Church History and Development
Faithful Word Baptist Church developed in the Phoenix-area independent Baptist environment and has historically been associated with Tempe, Arizona.
Older church materials list an address on West Southern Avenue in Tempe. The congregation subsequently relocated, and the current official website states that it began meeting at its Phoenix location on September 21, 2025.
The move represents an important change in the church’s physical location while its core identity remains centered on independent Baptist theology, King James Bible preaching, evangelism, and local church ministry.
Services and Church Resources
The church provides several resources for people interested in its ministry. These include:
- Live-streamed services
- Audio preaching
- Doctrinal materials
- Bible and teaching resources
- Foreign-language preaching resources
- Information about soul-winning activities
- Music resources
- Church directory information
Its website also provides contact information and directions to its current Phoenix location.
These resources allow people to learn about the church’s teachings before attending a service in person.
Conclusion
Faithful Word Baptist Church is an independent Baptist congregation serving the Phoenix, Arizona area. Led by Pastor Steven L. Anderson, the church describes itself as fundamental, King James Bible-only, soul-winning, and family-integrated. It places strong emphasis on biblical preaching, evangelism, local church membership, believer’s baptism, and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
The congregation’s published doctrinal statement provides detailed information about its theology, including its views on Scripture, salvation, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, the local church, biblical separation, and various social issues.
After previously being associated with Tempe, the church moved to 330 N. 33rd Avenue in Phoenix in September 2025. It continues to provide in-person and online services, making its preaching and teaching available to both its local congregation and a wider online audience.