North Texas State FGBCF seal North Texas StateFull Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship

Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International

The Fellowship

A worldwide movement of Baptist churches walking in the liberty of the Holy Spirit — “Where Everybody Is Somebody.”

Who We Are

Baptist in Heritage.
Full Gospel in Expression.

The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International (FGBCF) is a fellowship of churches, pastors, and believers who hold to the historic Baptist faith while embracing the full Gospel — the complete ministry of the Holy Spirit, including the gifts of the Spirit, in the life of the believer and the local church.

The Fellowship was established to give Baptist believers a spiritual home where they could remain faithful to their Baptist roots and, at the same time, walk in the freedom, power, and liberty of the Holy Spirit without compromise or apology.

That founding conviction is often summarized as “The Right to Choose” — the belief that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is best proclaimed when the local New Testament church is free to recognize and exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit as a living, vital part of the Body of Christ.

Today the Fellowship includes member churches across the United States and around the world, organized into states and regions under the oversight of the Presiding Bishop and the College of Bishops.

fullgospelbaptist.org About North Texas

Fellowship Facts

  • Founded 1994First International Conference held in New Orleans, Louisiana.
  • FounderBishop Paul S. Morton, Sr. — Founding Presiding Bishop.
  • Presiding BishopBishop Joseph W. Walker III (since 2015).
  • Episcopal StructurePresiding Bishop → Regional Bishops → State Bishops → District Overseers → Pastors.
  • Motto“Where Everybody Is Somebody.”
  • ReachMember churches across the United States and internationally.

Our Leaders

Founder & Presiding Bishop

Two generations of leadership carrying the Full Gospel vision forward.

Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr., Founder of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship

Founder

Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr.

Founding Presiding Bishop of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International (1994). Pastor, author, and Grammy‑nominated gospel artist whose vision united Baptist believers hungry for the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Bishop Joseph W. Walker III, International Presiding Bishop

International Presiding Bishop

Bishop Joseph W. Walker III

International Presiding Bishop since 2015 and Senior Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Nashville, Tennessee — leading the Fellowship into a new season of kingdom impact.

Council of Bishops of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International View full size

Governance

The Council of Bishops

The Fellowship is governed by the Council of Bishops — the International Presiding Bishop together with the bishops who provide oversight to states, regions, and ministry departments across the movement. Our own State Bishop, Bishop Gregory L. Drake, serves the North Texas State within this covering.

Together the Council upholds the Fellowship’s doctrine, guards its unity, and equips pastors and churches to advance the kingdom of God with excellence.

Leadership at fullgospelbaptist.org

Our Story

A Brief History

From a vision birthed in New Orleans to an international fellowship of churches.

The Vision (early 1990s)Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr., pastor of Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church in New Orleans, sensed a call to unite Baptist believers hungry for the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
The Founding (1994)The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship was formally organized, and the first International Conference gathered thousands of pastors and believers in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Growth & StructureThe Fellowship adopted an episcopal structure — Presiding Bishop, College of Bishops, State Bishops, and District Overseers — to provide covering and accountability.
A New Season (2015)Bishop Morton passed the mantle to Bishop Joseph W. Walker III, Senior Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, who now serves as International Presiding Bishop.
TodayThe Fellowship continues to grow across the United States and abroad, hosting an annual International Conference and equipping churches for kingdom impact — including the churches of the North Texas State.

What Makes Us Full Gospel

Our Distinctives

The Fellowship holds firmly to Baptist doctrine while embracing the full, present‑day ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Baptist Doctrine

Salvation by grace through faith, believer’s baptism by immersion, the priesthood of all believers, and the authority of Scripture.

The Full Gospel

The baptism of the Holy Spirit and the operation of all the gifts of the Spirit for the Church today.

Liberty in Worship

Freedom for expressive, Spirit‑led praise and worship that honors God and welcomes His presence.

Covering & Accountability

An episcopal structure providing pastors with spiritual covering, mentorship, and relational accountability.

Everybody Is Somebody

Every believer — regardless of background, gender, or status — has value, gifting, and a place in ministry.

Kingdom Impact

Local churches empowered to transform their communities through evangelism, discipleship, and compassionate service.

FG Read the full Full Gospel Distinctives statement
  1. We believe the Full Gospel includes: (A) the proclamation of both the eternal power of Calvary and the potential power of Pentecost; (B) the baptizing power of Jesus Christ for salvation because of Calvary; and (C) the filling/controlling power of the Holy Ghost for service and Holy victorious living because of Pentecost. (Ephesians 5:18, Acts 20:27)
  2. We believe in the perpetual and continuing ecclesiastical value of all spiritual gifts for the edification of the Body of Christ until the end of this Church Age, which will be consummated by the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13; I Corinthians 12-14; Romans 12)
  3. We believe in the Divine personhood of the Holy Spirit and His present-day ministry to Believers, including the sovereign distribution of Spiritual Gifts which empowers believers for service in the Contemporary Church. (I Corinthians 12:7-11)
  4. We believe in Jesus Christ as the Sovereign Giver of Spiritual Gifts to the church. Spiritual gifts are given for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ, without regard to ethnicity, social class, or gender. (Ephesians 4:7-12, Galatians 3:26-28)
  5. We believe in the full autonomy of the local church as an independent entity under the Lordship of Christ, through pastoral authority, with regard to: (A) government, polity, and operations; (B) discipline; and (C) with the added value of the Episcopacy as a covering. (Titus 1:5; Acts 15:1-35)
  6. We believe in the value of biblical terminology for leadership in the contemporary church: Bishop, Overseer, Pastor, Elder, Minister, and Deacon. We believe that all of these are designations for servant-leaders. (Jeremiah 3:15, Acts 20:28, II Corinthians 6:4, I Timothy 3:1-7)
  7. We believe in the formal and intentional praise and worship of Almighty God as a proper spirit-led, corporate and response to His person and work. (Psalm 46-50, John 4:23,24)
  8. We believe in Jesus Christ as the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, who brings men and women at salvation into relationship with Himself and His Body, the Church. All believers have been baptized by Christ with the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 3:11; John 1:33; I Corinthians 12:13)
  9. We believe in the indwelling of the Holy Ghost for all Believers, and that the Holy Ghost verifies and validates the Believer as a part of the Body of Christ. (Romans 8:9)
  10. We believe the spirit-filled life is desirable, valuable, and an issue of obedience for all Believers who are commanded to be filled with the Holy Ghost — whether described as “filled with,” “walk in,” “led by,” or “live in” the power of the Holy Ghost. (Ephesians 5:18)
  11. We believe all believers are exhorted to be filled, walk in, be led by, and live in the power of the Holy Ghost. (Ephesians 5:18, Galatians 5:16,18,25)
  12. We believe it is God’s desire that all believers live under the “Divine Direction” of the Holy Ghost, an ongoing ministry of the Spirit that enables the Believer to live a life of power, victory, and glory to God. (Acts 1:8, 2:4, 4:8, 4:31)

On the baptism and filling of the Holy Ghost: we believe these are distinct, separate, valid, and valuable ministries of the Holy Ghost which may occur simultaneously at salvation. Being filled with the Holy Ghost may and should occur subsequent to salvation in obedience to biblical exhortation; the baptism of the Holy Ghost occurs once and for all at salvation; and being filled should be an ongoing characteristic of the Believer’s consecrated holiness. (Matthew 3:11; John 1:33; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 5:18) We believe in speaking in tongues as our heavenly language that builds us up in our most holy faith — an indicator, not a qualifier. (Jude 20, Acts 19:2-6, Acts 2:1-4, 1 Corinthians 14:14-15)

How the Fellowship Is Organized

Leadership Structure

The Fellowship follows an episcopal model of governance. Local churches retain their autonomy while receiving spiritual covering and support through a clearly defined chain of leadership.

International Presiding BishopChief spiritual leader of the Fellowship
College of Bishops & General BoardBishops and leaders governing the Fellowship’s affairs
State BishopsOversight of churches within a state or region — e.g., Bishop Gregory L. Drake, North Texas
District OverseersPastoral care for churches within each district
Pastors & Local ChurchesAutonomous congregations in covenant fellowship

Ministries & Departments

Serving Every Generation

The Fellowship equips its churches through a range of ministries and departments that serve the whole body of Christ.

  • Women’s & Men’s MinistriesDiscipleship, empowerment, and fellowship for women and men of the Fellowship.
  • Youth & Young AdultsRaising up the next generation of leaders and worshippers.
  • Music & Worship ArtsCultivating excellence and anointing in praise and worship.
  • Christian Education & LeadershipTraining pastors, ministers, and lay leaders for effective ministry.
  • Missions & OutreachCarrying the Gospel and compassionate service to communities at home and abroad.
  • International ConferenceThe annual gathering of the Fellowship for worship, teaching, and fellowship.

North Texas State

Our Place in the Fellowship

The North Texas State is one of the Fellowship’s regional bodies, led by State Bishop Gregory L. Drake and organized into the Dallas County and Tarrant County Districts.

Meet Our Leadership Find a Church
For the most current information about the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International — including conference dates, official statements of faith, and membership — visit fullgospelbaptist.org.