Our Mission
Friendship Baptist Church of Plainfield, Illinois (FBC) is a community of believers with a mission to help people become disciples of Christ who are growing their commitment to Loving God, Loving People, and Lighting their World!
We value building relationships with our neighbors, demonstrating love, and sharing the hope we have that can be found nowhere else.
Southern Baptist
We are a Southern Baptist Church. While still an independent church, we cooperate with other churches in our association on various mission and minstry efforts. We also participate with other Southern Baptist Churches to send missionaries throughout the world!
Church History
From 1957-1959, a group of believers met regularly in Plainfield for prayer and fellowship. In 1959, Calvary Baptist Church in Aurora, IL sponsored a mission in Plainfield. The first worship service was in October of that year with 13 members present. In November 1960, Plainfield Missionary Baptist Church was constituted with 41 members and met on Mill Street.
In 1967, the church purchased three acres of land at Rt. 59 and Norman Avenue (current location) and a new building was constructed. Later that year, the church changed its name to First Southern Baptist Church of Plainfield. The first services were held in the new building in February 1968. An educational wing was later built in 1978.
In 1990, a tornado caused significant damage to the building. About a year later we completed a rebuilding and remodeling project that added a new Welcome Center.
In 1989, Dr. Michael Nolen was called as pastor and served until October 2002. The church also changed its name to Friendship Baptist Church. Rick Mullan was brought on staff as Minister of Education in December 1998. He served in this role, as well as Worship Leader, until his unexpected death in March 2017. In September 2004, the church called Dr. Odis Weaver as Senior Pastor and he served until his retirement in October 2021. In 2007, Doug Anderson was added to the church staff as our Director of Student Ministries and Technology and continues to serve in this role.
We are currently searching for our next senior pastor.
Church Staff
Our senior pastor of 17 years retired in late 2021. We are currently searching for our next pastor. Fortunately, our association has helped us out with several excellent preachers who have stepped in to deliver messages on Sunday mornings. We just want you to know that our speaker may change occasionally until God leads us to the one He is preparing to pastor our church!
Doug Anderson
Doug Anderson joined the Friendship staff in February 2007 as Director of Student Ministry and Technology. He graduated from Western Illinois University with a B.S. in Computer Science. God has given Doug a passion for youth ministry and called him to end a 20-year career in Information Technology to serve in full-time ministry. He has a Master's degree in Youth Ministry from Northern Seminary. Doug and his wife, Kelly, have been married for 21 years.