About Us
The Beginning of FBM
Ernest and Diane Gambrell surrendered to serve the Lord on the foreign field on Easter night of 1969 under the preaching of Dr. H. Mel Rutter. Upon their surrender, they affiliated with Maranatha Baptist Mission in Natchez, Mississippi, where Dr. James Crumpton was President and Dr. Mel Rutter was Vice-President. After serving on the field of Mexico from 1969 through 1975, Brother Gambrell was asked to serve as a Representative for Maranatha. After three months of seeking counsel and prayer, he and his wife felt confident that it was God’s will for them to take that position.
From that time until 1980, the Gambrells lived in Memphis, Tennessee; and Brother Gambrell traveled throughout the country preaching in Missions Conferences. In 1980, the Gambrells relocated to Natchez, Mississippi, and began working in the Home Office of Maranatha Baptist Mission. Their Board of Directors asked Brother Gambrell to serve as Second Vice-President. Shortly after that, he was appointed Coordinator of their Training Program and their annual School of Missions.
Brother Gambrell remained in that position until 1985. At that time, after much prayer and counsel, he was led of God to found Fundamental Baptist World-Wide Mission (FBWWM) in conjunction with Thrifthaven Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Brother Gambrell and his wife, Diane, were members of Thrifthaven from 1963 until 1980. They studied at Memphis Baptist College which was a ministry of the church. Brother Gambrell was ordained by the church, and the church commissioned them and sent them to the mission field in 1969.
FBWWM started with one missionary family, William and Sherry Banegas, who were serving in Bolivia. The headquarters of FBWWM remained in Memphis at Thrifthaven until 1990. At that time, by agreement be-tween Thrifthaven Baptist Church and Maranatha Baptist Church in Elkton, Maryland, FBWWM relocated to Maryland where it would work in conjunction with Maranatha Baptist Church and with Maryland Baptist Bible College, which was a ministry of the church. It also al-lowed opportunity for FBWWM to broadcast a program on a radio station, WOEL, which was owned and operated by the church and college.
In 1995, FBWWM, due to circumstances beyond its control, moved back to Memphis and became a ministry under East Side Baptist Church, where it continues until today. At that time, Dr. Teddy Steele was pastor, and he remained pastor until his death in 2010. Dr. Steele and Dr. Gambrell worked together at Thrifthaven Baptist Church in the 1960s. Dr. Steele was interim pastor and was chairman of the ordination commission when Dr. Gambrell was ordained and when he and Mrs. Gambrell were sent to the mission field.
Pastor Finley Cutshaw is the pastor of East Side Baptist Church. He became the pastor in February of 2011. Now, in 2017, approximately 80 missionaries are affiliated with FBWWM. These missionaries are serving in 20 foreign countries and in the United States where home missionaries are planting churches in areas where there are no independent Baptist churches, such as the northwestern and northeastern parts of the country and in various inner cities.
Foundational Structure
There are several positions that we hold to at Fundamental Baptist World-Wide Mission. These are positions that we believe by conviction and hold to very strongly. As founder and president of the Mission, I would like to share with you, five of these positions.
1. We believe that the local church is the only organization that has scriptural authority to send out missionaries. This Mission always honors the sending pastor and sending church. Any missionary sent through this Mission remains under the leadership and under the authority of the missionary’s sending pastor and church. We are a service agency to assist the pastor and church in meeting the need of their missionary. We strive diligently to honor the pastor and to always remain a servant.
2. We believe that the local church is the agency to which God committed the Great Commission. It is the privilege and responsibility of the local church to see that the Gospel is preached to every creature in every country. Fundamental Baptist World-Wide Mission is a local church ministry. It operates under the authority of the East Side Baptist Church located at 3232 Covington Pike, Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Teddy Steele was pastor for over 25 years. Finely Cutshaw is the current pastor of East Side Baptist Church.
3. We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Administrator of world missions. All missionaries serving through Fundamental Baptist World-Wide Mission are free to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit in every aspect of their ministry. This includes on which field they will serve, decisions in directing their work, when it is time to leave, and in any other decision relative to their work. As long as a missionary abides by sound Bible doctrine, uses Bible principles, stays morally clean, and stays busy, he will never hear from this Mission’s leadership.
4.We believe that we are to live by faith. Fundamental Baptist World-Wide Mission is a “faith” ministry. We expect missionaries to trust God to meet their financial needs. We believe that it would be wrong for the Mission not to operate by the same principle. We do not charge a missionary in any way for the services offered by the Mission. We do not have any system, of any kind, that makes deductions from funds designated to missionaries. Many of our missionaries do support the Home Office out of appreciation, love, and a desire to have a part in the ministry of the office. Our office is also supported by local churches.
5.We are a church planting mission. Every missionary affiliated with the mission must be involved in the planting of or developing of a local, independent, New Testament Baptist church. We believe that true New Testament missionary work is preaching the Gospel, winning souls, making disciples, and forming the converts into a local church. All other ministries should be a means to this end.
Uniqueness of FBWWM
1. FBWWM is a ministry of a local church. We believe that any organization, such as a mission board whose sole purpose is to carry out the Great Commission, should be a ministry of a local church, the organization to which God gave the Great Commission.
2. FBWWM is not a sending agency. We offer a service to pastors and local churches who send missionaries to the field and choose to have those missionaries affiliate with us. Our motto is A Slave and a Servant to the Local Church.
3. All missionaries affiliated with FBWWM remain under the authority of their pastor and their sending church. We work diligently to remain “in our place” and never exercise authority over the pastor and sending church.
4. FBWWM is a faith ministry. Since the founding of FBWWM in 1985, we have trusted the Lord to meet our needs. We have never charged a missionary any amount of money for the services we offer to him and his sending church. There is no percentage deducted from a missionary’s support, and there are no hidden fees of any nature.
5. Every member of FBWWM’s staff serves the Lord by the same faith principle. They trust the Lord to supply their needs and receive no salary from FBWWM. That does not include our bookkeeper or secretary but does include the President, Vice-Presidents, General Director, and Representatives.
6. FBWWM is careful to not act as the Holy Spirit. If a missionary requests advice on any matter, we gladly offer advice, but the final decision is between the missionary, his pastor, and the Holy Spirit. This refers to decisions such as changing fields, etc., but it does not include changes in doctrine or other Bible positions.
7. When a serious matter arises concerning a missionary, FBWWM will immediately contact the pastor of that missionary and explain the problem to his pastor. Should the pastor request our input or assistance in addressing or solving the problem, we are glad to assist — but only at the pastor’s request. The pastor has the final decision and FBWWM then responds to the pastor’s and sending church’s decision.
8. BWWM is not a sending agency and does not interrogate a missionary applicant. The questioning and interrogation of a missionary being sent to the field is the responsibility of his sending church. When applying to FBWWM, a missionary must read, agree with, and agree to practice FBWWM’s Policies and Practices Manual. This agreement will be indicated when completing FBWWM’s Application. Every new missionary is asked to meet with FBWWM’s Board of Directors when he attends our Annual Institute of Missions. The purpose of that meeting is two-fold: we, the members of our Board of Directors, desire to know the missionary as much as we possibly can; and we desire that the missionary ask questions to get to know us as much as possible.
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