About Us

About Us

Our Beliefs


  • The Bible

    We believe that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired of God and inerrant in the original writings; that God has perfectly and completely preserved His Word; that the Scriptures are, and do not merely contain, the Word of God; that they afford the basis for our doctrine, practice, and habits both in public and private life; and that they are the supreme and final authority. These Scriptures are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. We believe that the normal interpretation of Scripture, wherein each word is given its normal meaning is the correct interpretive principle; that the Scriptures are to be taken literally except where figurative language or parabolic method is obviously employed; that the Scriptures are of one Authorship and so no passage can be interpreted apart from the whole; that the Scriptures are self-interpreting in the sense that meaning can be determined by comparing Scripture with Scripture; that the Scriptures are foolishness to the individual outside of Jesus Christ and only through illumination of the Holy Spirit Who indwells the believer can the Scripture be completely understood. For reasons of unity and textual reliablity, we exclusively use the King James Version of the Bible for teaching and preaching. (I Corinthians 2:9-16; II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21) 

  • The Godhead

    We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is JEHOVAH, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love; that He is externally existing in three persons –Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and these three persons of the Godhead each possess equally the perfections of personality, self-existence, immutability, truth, love, holiness, omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. (Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; I Chronicles 29:12-13; Psalm 139:7-10; Romans 11:33; II Corinthians 13:14; James 1:17; Jude 24-25) We believe that God the Father is an infinite, personal, spirit, Who is perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love; that He has chosen to concern Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all men who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (John 1:12-13; 3:16-17; Acts 17:24-29) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God; that He became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary in order to reveal God and redeem sinful man; that He accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; that our justification is made sure by his literal, physical resurrection from the dead; that He ascended to heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministries of representative, intercessor, and advocate; that the blessed hope of the Christian is the personal, imminent, pre-tribulational, pre-millennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; and that He shall subsequently return to earth with his saints to establish His millennial kingdom. (Matthew 1:18-23; Mark 10:45; John 1:1, 14; 20:1-31; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 8:24; II Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 2:9-10; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; II Thessalonians 1:7-10; I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 9:28, I John 2:1-2; 4:2-3; Revelation 20:6) We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person co-equal with the Father and the Son Who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; that He is the Supernatural Agent of regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption; that He is the Divine Teacher Who guides believers into all truth through the illumination of the Word; and that it is the privilege of and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (John 16:8-11, 13; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 5-18; I John 2:20, 27)

  • Creation

    We believe that the Genesis account of creation is to be accepted literally and not allegorically or figuratively; that man was created directly in God’s own image and after His own likeness; that man’s creation was not a matter of evolution or evolutionary change of species, or a development through interminable periods of time from lower to higher forms; and that all animals and vegetable life were made directly by God in six literal, twenty-four hour periods. (Genesis 1:1, 11, 24, 26-27; 2:21-25; Exodus 20:11; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 3:4; 11:3; Revelation 10:6)

  • Satan

    We believe that Satan was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honors, but, through pride and self-centered ambition to be as the Almighty, fell and drew after him a host of angels; that he is now the malignant prince of the power of the air and the unholy god of this world whose powers are limited by the permissive will of God; that he is the enemy of God and Christ, the tempter of man, the accuser of saints, the author of all false religions, the chief power behind the present apostasy, the lord of the Antichrist, and the author of all the powers of darkness; and that he is destined to final defeat at the hands of God’s Son and reserved unto judgment of eternal justice in the Lake of Fire, a place prepared for him and his angels. (Job 1:6-12; Isaiah 14:12-16; Ezekiel 28:1-19; John 8:44; Ephesians 2:2; II Thessalonians 2:3-10; Revelation 11:15; 20:10)

  • Man

    We believe that man was created in holiness, under the law of his Maker, but, by voluntary transgression, fell from that holy and happy state, in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not by constraint, but choice; being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by law of God, positively inclined to evil; and therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin, without defense or excuse. (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 3:6-24; Romans 5:19; Isaiah 53:6; Ephesians 2:1-3; Ezekiel 18:19, 20)

  • Salvation

    We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace, through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, Who by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him our nature, yet without sin by means of the Virgin Birth, honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death, made a full atonement for the sins of the human race; that having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in Heaven; and uniting in His wonderful person the most tender sympathies with divine perfection, He is every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and all sufficient Savior. (Ephesians 2:8; John 3:16; Philippians 2:6,7; Isaiah 42:21; 53:4, 5; Hebrews 1:8; 7:25, I John 2:2) We believe that salvation is a free gift of God for “whosoever will”; it is by grace, through faith, plus nothing, and believers are eternally secure. (John 3:16; 10:28-29; Col. 2:8; I Tim. 2:4-6) 

  • The Church

    We believe that the Church universal, designated in the Scriptures as the body and espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born again persons of this present age; and that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament. (Acts 1:27-28; I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11) We believe that the two ordinances of the Church are water baptism and the Lord’s Supper; that water baptism has no saving merit, but follows salvation to portray to the world the believer’s union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection; that the Scriptural method of water baptism is immersion; that water baptism is observed once and is a sign of identification and testimony to newness of life; that Jesus Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper to commemorate His death till He comes; that the Lord’s Supper is to be observed regularly as a memorial of the body and shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; that the Lord’s Supper shall be open to all baptized, born again believers; and that Christian ordinances are outward rites appointed to the Church, not as a means of salvation, but as visible signs and seals of the facts and realities of salvation. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:4; I Corinthians 11:23-33; Colossians 2:9-13; I Peter 3:21) We believe that the first day of the week is the Lord’s Day, and is to be kept sacred for religious purposes, by the devout observance of worship both private and public, and by preparation for the rest that remaineth for the people of God. (Acts 20:7; Exodus 20:8; Psalm 118:15; Hebrews 4:3-11; 10:24, 25) We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowing of all His gifts for the operation and order of His church; that the speaking in tongues and the working of authenticating miracles gradually decreased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority established; but that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accord with His own will, for the sick and afflicted. (John 15:7; Romans 4:25, 12:6-8; I Corinthians 12:4-11; II Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12; James 5:14-15; I Peter 2:24) The command to give the Gospel to the world is clear and unmistakable and this Commission is given to the churches and all Christians. (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:6; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:13-15)

  • The Last Things

    We believe that the souls of the redeemed at death are absent from the body and present with the Lord, where, in conscious bliss, they await the first resurrection when the spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord; that the souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery until the second judgment, when, body, soul, and spirit will be reunited, they shall appear before the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment; that the return of Christ for His bride, the Church, will be pre-tribulational and pre-millennial; that the rapture of the Church will be followed by the fulfillment of Israel’s seventieth week, as mentioned by the prophet Daniel, while the Church will be in heaven; that the period of Israel’s seventieth week will be a time of great tribulation and judgment on the earth; that the millennial period will be the reign of Christ over a literal earthly kingdom, and that there will be a bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15-21,25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26, 23:43; John 5:28-29, 11:25-26; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 6:1, 20:15)

Our Pastor


Pastor Finley and his wife, Renae, have five adult children who were raised at Fellowship. Their oldest, Jessica (far left), is heavily involved in different ministries at Fellowship. She is married to Tyler who is a Christian businessman in the Durham area. Karissa (second from left) is the second oldest. She is married to Caleb and they both serve at Crossroads of Life Baptist Church in Canton, GA. Their two oldest sons, Josh (far right) and Kaleb (second from right) currently serve on staff at Fellowship. Josh is married to Aimee who serves as one of the youth leaders at Fellowship. Kaleb is married to Autumn who serves in various ministries at Fellowship and teaches music in our academy. Jake (middle) is the youngest in the family and is currently serving our country in Afghanistan. Pastor Finley and his wife are blessed to have six wonderful grandchildren: Raelyn, Jase, Jaxon, Finley, Titus, and Jocelyn.

Connect with Pastor:

Dr. Rick Finley was born and raised in Durham, NC by Philip and Delores Finley. When he was three years of age, his mother was invited to Fellowship Baptist Church for a “Pack-A-Pew” Sunday. This was his first time walking through the doors at Fellowship. He has been a faithful member ever since.


After graduating from Northern High School in Durham, Pastor Finley felt led by God to attend Hyles-Anderson College in Crown Point, IN to train for the ministry. During his time at Bible college, he met his wife, Renae. In 1983, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Pastoral Theology. He and Renae were married in 1983. Upon graduation at Hyles-Anderson, he came back to Fellowship to serve under the leadership of the founding pastor, Lonnie Graves. Pastor Graves immediately placed him in several areas of ministry leadership at the church. In 1988, Pastor Finley was voted by the church to be the next senior pastor of Fellowship.


Pastor Finley has a great heart for people. It is evident through his preaching, teaching, and counseling that he is truly burdened for the members of Fellowship Baptist and the community. Also evident in his life is an intense burden to see people come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. 


Under the leadership of Pastor Finley, Fellowship Baptist Church has expanded its outreach both in the Triangle area and beyond. Here are a few of these highlights:

  • In August of 1989, the church voted to pave the parking lot. This has been very convenient for all of our services and has also allowed us to provide a place for different events for the community such as car shows and funeral services. 
  • In August of 1996, Fellowship Baptist Academy was started. The academy has provided a Bible-based Christian education for hundreds of students in our church and in our community.
  • In November of 1996, our church stepped out by faith and began our faith-promise missions. Since that time, our church has been able to financially support hundreds of missionaries all around the world.
  • In November of 2008, the people of Fellowship, gave a total of $750,683.00 in offerings and commitments for our “Investing in Our Future” campaign. 
  • In January of 2009, the church purchased Redwood Road Campus. This campus is complete with a school building, gymnasium, baseball field, and a soccer field. 
  • In February of 2011, we had the grand opening of Freedom Hall. This gymnasium has been home to all of academy basketball and volleyball games as well as our Freedom Basketball Leagues.

Our Ministry Team


Rick Finley

Senior Pastor

Ken Finley

Administrative Pastor

Ray Carillo

Discipleship Director & Youth Pastor

Clint Francis

Bus Ministry Director

Sharon Finley

Church Secretary

Matt Finley

Music Director

Tyler Robertson

Assistant Pastor

Sally Roycroft

Church Secretary

Lawson Roycroft

Maintenance 

Share by: