Welcome To Faith Fellowship

Looking for a church in Houston, Mo? We would love to meet you and your family at Faith Fellowship. You’ll be greeted by friendly faces when you walk through our doors and we have a free gift for you at the welcome center. And don’t forget a free cup of coffee. This video gives you a glimpse of who we are.

Who we are

Here’s the deal, Faith Fellowship cares about one thing more than anything else: Jesus Christ. Faith Fellowship is a family of individuals that have found hope in Jesus, and want as many people as possible to experience that exact same freedom.

Where we are headed

What’s the bottom line? Faith Fellowship is committed to fostering a family built around hope. Hope for the future. Hope for better. Hope for progress. Hope in Jesus. And as we move forward as a church family, inclusion and belonging remain at the center of who we are as followers of Christ.

What this means for you

You’re always welcome at Faith Fellowship. We’re saving a seat for you. Wherever you are in your faith journey, you’ll be accepted as part of the Faith family. Browse around our website for information and please contact us with any questions. We can’t wait to see you!

Our Pastor

Pastor Bill Villapiano was raised in Chicago, Illinois. At the age of 13 his family moved to Houston, MO where he graduated from high school in 1975. That same year at Bethel Chapel, a small rural church, he gave his heart to Christ. Pastor Bill married his high school sweetheart, June Emfinger, the following March. They have now enjoyed over 45 years of marriage together with 4 children and 7 grandchildren. After attending and graduating from Bible School in 1982, he returned to Houston and became pastor of Faith Fellowship in March of 1984. At that time Faith Fellowship was a small store front church and now 37 years later, he is still pastoring his first church. While for many pastors their first church or a rural church is a stepping stone to their future, for Pastor Bill it has been his life’s calling. Pastor Bill says “rural America is the salt of the earth. They are the people who hold to time honored values, work hard, win wars and keep the faith.”

Today, along with his pastoral duties Pastor Bill is a member of the Houston Ministerial Alliance and serves as a Regional Director for AFCM (Association of Faith Churches and Ministers). He has also had the privilege of working as a consultant and speaker for Focus on the Family, helping churches and pastors develop a strategy for nurturing faith in the home.

Our Affiliation

We are proud members of The Association of Faith Churches and Ministries (AFCM), an organization that promotes fellowship among ministers who share the vision of taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. Pastor Bill is a regional leader in AFCM. He coaches and instructs other churches to operate with excellence and reach their communities.

What We Believe

Although our approach is modern, what we believe is tried and true. Our methods may change, but these are the foundational beliefs we’ll always hold on to as a church.

The Scriptures

The Bible is the inspired Word of God, the product of holy men of old who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. The New Covenant, as recorded in the New Testament, we accept as our infallible guide in matters pertaining to conduct and doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16, l Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Peter 1:21).

The Godhead

Our God is one, but manifested in three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, being co-equal (Phil 2:6). God the Father is greater than all; the Source of the Word (Logos) and the Begetter (John 1:14). The Son is the Word flesh-covered, the One Begotten, and has existed with the Father from the beginning (John 1:1; John 1:18; John 1:14). The Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and testifies of the Son and is eternal (John 15:26).

Man, His Fall, and Redemption

Man is a created being, made in the likeness and the image of God, but through Adam’s transgression and fall, sin came into the world. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” “As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one.” Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was manifested to undo the work of the devil and gave His life and shed His blood to redeem and restore man back unto God. (Rom. 5:14; Rom 3:23; 1 John 3:8). Salvation is the gift of God to man, separate from works and the law, and is made operative by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, producing works acceptable to God (Eph. 2:8).

Eternal Life and the New Birth

Man’s first step toward salvation is Godly sorrow that worketh repentance. The new birth is necessary to all men, and when fulfilled produces eternal life. (2 Cor. 7:10; 1 John 5:12; John 3:3-5).

Water Baptism

Baptism in water is by immersion, it is a direct commandment of our Lord, and is for believers only. The ordinance is a symbol of the Christian’s identification with Christ, in His death, burial, and resurrection (Matt. 28:19; Rom.6:4; Col. 2:12; Acts 8:36-39). The following recommendation regarding the water baptismal formula is adopted; to wit; “On the confession of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and by His authority, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.”

Baptism of the Holy Spirit

The Baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire is a gift from God as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ to all believers in the dispensation and is received subsequent to the new birth. This experience is accompanied by the initial evidence of the speaking in other tongues as the Holy Spirit Himself give utterance (Matt. 3:11; John 14:16-17; Acts 2:38-39; Acts 19:1-7; Acts 2:4).

Sanctification

The Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see the Lord. We believe in the Doctrine of Sanctification as a definite, yet progressive work of grace, commencing at the time of regeneration and continuing until the consummation of salvation (Heb. 12:14; 1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:12-14; 1 Cor. 1:30).

Divine Healing

Healing is for the physical ills of the human body and is wrought by the power of God through the prayer of faith, and by the laying on of hands. It is provided for in the atonement of Christ, and is the privilege of every member of the church today (Mark 16:18; James 5:14-25; 1 Peter 2:24; Matt. 8:17; Isa. 53:4-5).

Resurrection of the Just and the Return of Our Lord

The angels said, “This same Jesus shall so come in like manner.” His coming is imminent. When He comes, “The dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with the in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…” (Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:16-17). Following the tribulation, He shall return to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and together with the saints, who shall be kings and priests, He shall reign a thousand years (Rev 20:6).

Hell and Eternal Retribution

The one who physically dies in his sins without Christ is hopelessly and eternally lost in the Lake of Fire, and therefore, has no further opportunity of hearing the Gospel or repenting. The Lake of Fire is literal. The terms “eternal” and “ever-lasting”, used in describing the duration of the punishment of the damned in the Lake of Fire, carry the same thought and meaning of endless existence as used in denoting the duration of joy and ecstasy of saints in the presence of God (Heb. 9:27; Rev. 19:20).