Our Church- Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church
The Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church is located in Elkview, West Virginia about 10 miles north of Charleston, where Lee Swor has been the pastor for over 30 years. It is an independent, fundamental Baptist church that believes, preaches, and teaches the King James Bible. It is home to numerous ministries that seek to evangelize the lost, edify the saved, and exalt the Savior, including the Elk Valley Christian School. If you or someone you know are looking for a home church, or if you or someone you know plan to travel to or through the Charleston, WV area, please give us a visit. If you would like more information about the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, please click the website or Facebook page links below.
Our Bible Teacher- Dr. Joseph Speciale
Background: Dr. Speciale was born and raised in the Chicago, Illinois metropolitan area. He accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior on September 29, 1986.
Academics: Dr. Speciale has two earned Bachelor’s Degrees, one from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois (1985) and another from Pensacola Bible Institute in Pensacola, Florida (1990). He also has an earned Master’s Degree (1992) and an earned Doctorate Degree (1995) from Freelandia Theological Seminary in Broadway, Virginia.
Church Membership: Dr. Speciale has been a member of the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church of Elkview, West Virginia since 2010. Prior to that, he was a member of the Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church of Charleston, West Virginia.
Experience: Dr. Speciale has taught Sunday School and Bible Institute classes for over 30 years and developed most of the teaching material used in the Bible Institute classes. He has participated in numerous Bible Conferences teaching on the subjects of inspiration/preservation and Bible prophecy.
Family: Dr. Speciale and his wife Lisa have been married for over 30 joyful years and have been blessed with two sons, two daughters-in-law, and five beautiful grandchildren.
Our Beliefs- Doctrinal Statement
The Bible
We believe that the 66 books of the Old Testament and New Testament (i.e.- Genesis through Revelation) are the complete revelation of God. We believe that all the words of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God and have been perfectly preserved in the Hebrew Masoretic Text and Textus Receptus. The Authorized King James Version, translated from these texts, is a product and extension of divine preservation for English speaking peoples (Psa 12:6-7; 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:19-21).
God
We believe in one God, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, existing co-equally and co-eternally as a Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14;1 John 5:7).
Jesus Christ
We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, his virgin birth, sinless life, and his death, burial, and literal bodily resurrection for our sins. We also believe in his atoning blood, his bodily ascension to heaven, his present high priestly ministry, and his literal bodily return to this earth to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords (John 1:1-3,14; 20:28; Acts 1:11; 1 Tim 3:16; Heb 7:25; Rev 19:16).
Holy Spirit
We believe in the person and deity of the Holy Spirit; his ministry of reproving the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; of regenerating, sealing, and indwelling the believing sinner, and of filling, guiding, assuring, and comforting the yielded saint (John 3:6-7; 14:26; 16:8,13; Acts 5:3-4; Rom 8:16; Eph 4:30; 5:18).
Creation & Man
We believe that God created the heaven and the earth in six 24-hour days, and that he rested on the seventh day. We believe that man was originally created in the image of God, but by an act of sin became a sinner; consequently, all men are born sinners and are without hope outside the saving grace of God (Gen 1:1-3:7; Psa 51:5; Rom 3:23; Eph 2:1).
Salvation
We believe that salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ as personal Savior. We believe that salvation is made possible by the death and shed blood of Jesus Christ; and that any and all who repent of their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. We believe that Jesus Christ bore all of our sins on the cross and paid the price of eternal and physical death for those sins in our place. We believe that every true born again believer is eternally and positionally justified by the grace of God through his faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and possesses everlasting life; consequently, he can never lose his salvation. We believe the true born again believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption and kept from falling by the power of God (John 5:24; Acts 16:31; 20:21; Rom 5:1,9; 8:1; 10:13; Eph 2:8-9; 4:30; 1 Pet 1:5; Jude 1:24).
The Church
We believe that the church, as the body and bride of Christ, is composed of all born-again believers by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The church, as an institution, is a local assembly of born-again, baptized believers ordained by God to obey the Great Commission and to observe the ordinances of water baptism and the Lord's Supper (Matt 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 2:41; 1 Cor 11:2,23-26; 12:13; Eph 3:6; 5:23-32).
The Second Coming
We believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the church and the literal, physical, pre-millennial return of Jesus Christ to this earth to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords (1 The 1:10; 4:16-17; Rev 4:1; 19:11-16; 20:1-6).
Heaven & Hell
We believe that both heaven and hell are literal places. Heaven is the place of God’s immediate presence and throne, and the eternal home of the saints and angels of God. Hell is a place of eternal torment, darkness, and fire, and the eternal abode of Satan, his angels, and the lost of all ages (Matt 5:34; 25:41; Luke 16:23; John 14:2; Rev 20:15).