Our Senior Pastor

Pastor John Aitken grew up in the Atlanta area. As a teen he struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. With the support of family and friends he sought help at a local addiction center. Even after leaving the treatment center, John continued to struggle with his addictions. Upon graduating high school, life was slowly beginning to change. John met his future wife Mendy, entered the U.S. Army, and soon began to realize that God had a plan for his life.

John was saved in a marriage counseling session a couple of days before their wedding ceremony in Paducah. Immediately he felt the love of God pouring through his soul like warm oil. Over time God began to transform John’s life and use him in Bible studies on the military base.

After completing his time in the U.S. Army in 1996, John and Mendy returned to Paducah. It wasn’t long before they felt God calling them both into youth ministry. They began serving as youth volunteers in a local church, and soon entered full time ministry. After serving for a few years as a youth pastor, God began to lead him in a new direction. Stepping out in faith, he followed the Lord through a season of testing and almost a year later he founded Faith Center of Paducah. As Pastor of Faith Center, John desires to reveal God’s Word in a powerful yet simple way. His passion is to encourage people to go after God, and to equip them for ministry in everyday life.

What We Believe...

• The Holy Scriptures
  We believe the Bible is God-inspired (2 Timothy 3:16,17)
• The Eternal Godhead
  We believe God is Triune: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14).
• The Fall of Man
  We believe that man was created in the image of God, but that by voluntary disobedience he fell from innocence and purity (Romans 5:12).
  
• The Plan of Salvation
  We believe that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, signing the pardon of all who believe on Him (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).
  
• Salvation Through Grace
  We believe that we have no righteousness and must come to God pleading the righteousness of Christ (Ephesians 2:8).
• Repentance and Acceptance
  We believe that upon sincere repentance, and a whole-hearted acceptance of Christ, we are justified before God (1 John 1:9).
• The New Birth
  We believe that one must be born again to enter the kingdom of God.  The person of the Holy Spirit indwells the believer at the time of conversion   (John 3:3-8; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20). 
• Baptism and the Lord's Supper
  We believe that Baptism by immersion is the burial service (watery grave) for the old man. (Matt. 28:19, Romans 6:1-5). We believe in the commemoration of the Lord's Supper by the symbolic use of the bread and juice of the vine (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24, 25).
• Baptism with the Holy Spirit
  We believe that the Baptism or filling with the Holy Spirit is to endue the believer with power. (Luke 4:1; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:4; Acts 8:15-16; Acts 9:17; Acts 10:44; Acts19:2-6; Ephesians 5:18).
• The Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit
  We believe that the Holy Spirit has gifts to bestow upon the Christian; and that we should show spiritual fruit as evidence of  our submission to Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Galatians 5:22).
• Divine Healing
  We believe that divine healing is the power of Christ to heal the physically sick in answer to the prayer of faith (Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16: 16-18; Acts 10:38; James 5:14-16).
• The Second Coming of Christ
  We believe that the second coming of Christ is personal and imminent (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).
• Church Relationship
  We believe it is our sacred duty to identify ourselves with the visible Body of Christ (Acts 16:5; Hebrews 10:25).
• Civil Government
  We believe that rulers should be upheld at all times except in things opposed to the will of God (Romans 13:1-5).
• The Final Judgment
  We believe that all shall stand some day before the Judgment Seat of God, and there receive eternal life or death (2 Corinthians 5:10).
• Heaven
  We believe that heaven is the glorious eternal home of born-again believers (John 14:1-3; Revelation 7:15-17).
• Hell
  We believe that hell is the place of eternal torment for all who reject Christ as the Savior (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10,15).
• Evangelism
  We believe that soul winning is the most important responsibility of the Church (Proverbs 11:30; James 5:20).
• Tithes and Offerings
  We believe that the method ordained of God for the support and spread of His cause is by giving of tithes and free-will offerings (Malachi 3:10; 2 Corinthians 9:7).

Ministry Priorities

• PRIORITY # 1 - We minister to the Lord.  Our hearts seek Him first.  Service begins with joyous songs of praise, prayer, and worship.
• PRIORITY # 2 - We minister to each other (the church, the body of Christ).  We pray for the sick, comfort the hurting and sorrowful, encourage the weak and weary, and minister the Word of God to feed the soul and renew the mind.
• PRIORITY # 3 - We minister to the world.  We preach the Gospel of Christ to those who have not heard.  We leave service with a mission mindset.  The Word becomes flesh in our lives that we might be a living example of God’s love to all.

Communion 

• We practice open communion. All who know Christ are welcome, yet are not forced to participate.
• We examine our hearts, confess sin, and partake of the elements in an act of worship to God.

Luke 22:15-20 (NASB)
   "And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes." And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood."

• We are ready to baptize new believers in Christ at the time of conversion. Pastor does not have to baptize everybody.  If you have led someone to Christ or been a Christian influence or mentor to them, then we encourage you to participate in their baptism.
• We practice full-immersion baptism.
• If you have any questions about water baptism, please contact us.

Matthew 3:6,15-17   (NASB)
6 "and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins."

15-17 "But Jesus answering said to him, "Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he permitted Him. After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."

Matthew 28:19
19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit..."