Fundamentally, we believe the Gospel. We believe that all people have sinned and are separated from God. But God, because He is rich in mercy, sent His Son, Jesus, to die for sin so that we can be saved. This salvation can be received by repenting from our sin and trusting in Jesus as our only hope. Those who believe will spend eternity with God on the new restored earth. (Romans 3:21-26; Revelation 21-22).
The Gospel affects all areas of our life and practice.
We are officially affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Baptist Convention of New York, and regionally with the Finger Lakes Baptist Association. Doctrinally, we affirm the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 and refer to this source for our doctrinal positions.
Kirk started as the pastor at Pleasant Valley in July 2024. He has studied Biblical Counseling through the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation, the Association of Biblical Counselors, and the Christian Trauma Healing Network. He is currently working on his Master of Divinity degree at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina (online). Kirk lives in Lima, NY, and loves reading, playing sports, discussing theology, studying Greek and Hebrew, hanging out with friends, and rooting for the Buffalo Bills and New York Yankees.
In 1983 the Director of Missions for the Greater Rochester Baptist Association had a vision for a new church start in Livingston County. He contacted a couple that worked the summer before for the association doing missionary work as their internship for seminary. In the fall of 1984 they found an abandoned church in Cuylerville and asked if they could rent the church from the owner. The owner was willing to let them use the church and make repairs on their own.
In December of 1985, the church voted to become constituted, and had over 25 members. They voted to keep the missionary, David Brown, as their first pastor. In 1987, they purchased land on Lakeville Road, also known as Rt.20A, in Geneseo. In the summer of 1988, with the help of several churches from Georgia, the present building of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church was built.
