Church Beliefs (Core Doctrine)
We put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as the Beginning and the End of all things- the central figure and authority of the entire created universe: galactic, microscopic, spiritual, physical, intellectual, and emotional. We identify ourselves as members of this church to be submitted citizens of His eternal, invisible, supreme kingdom, permitted as such solely because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross: the death of an innocent man, not tainted with any sin (inherited or committed), who took our place and received our punishment to satisfy the righteous Judge. Basically, we acknowledge Him as our Master and King; we love Him, we believe what He said, and we’ll follow His leadership in this life, through death, and into eternity in Heaven with Him.
We believe Jesus was a man who really lived on this earth & walked among our ancestors, and that His origins were intertwined with, but before & beyond mankind (‘…being in very nature, God’). We believe Jesus was with the Father (the supreme deity responsible for creation, redemption, and final judgement) before anything else came to be, and that together with the Holy Spirit, the three-person, unified Godhead reigns in total sovereignty over all creation. He is faithful, loving, just, and holy- blameless and righteous.
We are unified as a family, but welcome literally anyone to join us in an honest pursuit of truth and purpose in this life. The Jesus we know loves you and wants you to come to him. He said:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
History and Church Founding
Jemez Mountain Baptist Church is located in the Jemez Mountains west of Santa Fe, New Mexico, nestled in a valley in La Cueva near the Valles Caldera. This mission was supported by the First Baptist Church of Los Alamos.
It was founded as a mission August 23, 1998 by John Marc and Debbie Church, sent by the Baptist Mission Board as U2 missionaries. They started meeting at homes and then in the Cueva Fire Station. Bill McGarity pastored the mission from 1992 until his retirement in 1998 when Homer Southerland became interim pastor.
In January 2002, Eric Larson, a long time member of the mission, became pastor. He and his wife, Debbi, and three children ministered to the families of La Cueva, Rancho de La Cueva, Horseshoe Springs, and Sierra Los Pinos until October of 2023- a 21-year faithful term. Eric and Debbi still reside in the neighborhood and continue their ministry in retirement.
In November of 2023, a new pastor was elected to continue in Eric’s place. The new pastor, Ryan Rettinger, was already a member of the church and community for about 2yrs at the time of his appointment.
The church continues to conduct the Lord’s business, serving families and teaching the truth of Jesus Christ.
The Mission constituted as a Church in January 2004 and began plans for a building. Land was purchased next to State Road 126 in La Cueva, a well was dug, and final plans were drawn up for the new building. In May 2006 we dedicated and began services in our new church .