First Baptist Church (Augusta, Georgia)
Encyclopedia
First Baptist Church of Augusta is a Baptist
church in Augusta, Georgia
. The original location is now a historical site, and the church is currently located on Walton Way.
The Southern Baptist Convention
was formed at a meeting in this church in May 1845. More than 300 delegates from Baptist churches across the South decided to form their own convention. They believed they were not getting enough missionaries from the national convention, and disagreements about slaveholding were dividing people in fellowship.
In 1899 the congregation voted to rebuild on the same site. The new church was designed similar to the Church of Madeleine in Paris, and dedicated in 1902.
The name, First Baptist Church, was granted in 1919.
in 1956. (Marker Number 121–29.) It is inscribed as follows:
The Southern Baptist Convention
erected an identification marker on the grounds in 1984, noting this as the site of the convention's founding.
By 2003, the building was owned by the Southern Baptist Restoration Foundation, and the Southern Bible Seminary had started using the building to hold classes.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church in Augusta, Georgia
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
. The original location is now a historical site, and the church is currently located on Walton Way.
Baptists Praying Society
According to the earliest church records, the Baptists Praying Society was established when "In the year 1817, Jesse D. Green, a layman, was active in gathering together the few scattered Baptists in Augusta, and, after holding one or more preliminary meetings, the brethren and sisters, to the number of eighteen, had drawn up and adopted a covenant, to which they affixed their names." In May 1817, they congregated in the court house. A few years later in 1820, Rev, Wm. T. Brantly was chosen for the pastoral office, and he undertook erecting a brick house at 802 Greene St., at a cost of $20,000. It was dedicated on May 6, 1821.The Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
was formed at a meeting in this church in May 1845. More than 300 delegates from Baptist churches across the South decided to form their own convention. They believed they were not getting enough missionaries from the national convention, and disagreements about slaveholding were dividing people in fellowship.
In 1899 the congregation voted to rebuild on the same site. The new church was designed similar to the Church of Madeleine in Paris, and dedicated in 1902.
The name, First Baptist Church, was granted in 1919.
Historical marker
A historical marker was erected outside the church by Georgia Historical CommissionGeorgia Historical Commission
The Georgia Historical Commission was an organization created by the U.S. state of Georgia for purposes of historic preservation. The Georgia legislature created the commission in February 1951 to promote and increase knowledge and understanding of the history of Georgia...
in 1956. (Marker Number 121–29.) It is inscribed as follows:
In March 1817, eight men and two women meeting in an Augusta home formed "The Baptist Praying Society of Augusta" - the forerunner of the First Baptist Church. Two months later the society was constituted a church under the leadership of the first minister, Wm. T. Brantley, this property was purchased in 1870. A church on this site was dedicated May 26, 1821. In 1845, after serious friction arose in the national Triennial Convention, 327 delegates from eight southern states and the District of Columbia met here to form the Southern Baptist Convention. This building was erected in 1902.
Greene Street building
In 1975 the congregation moved to another site in Augusta on Walton Way, and the old church building was sold to the Southern Baptist Non-Profit Historical Society.The Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
erected an identification marker on the grounds in 1984, noting this as the site of the convention's founding.
By 2003, the building was owned by the Southern Baptist Restoration Foundation, and the Southern Bible Seminary had started using the building to hold classes.
Pastors
The list of pastors of this church are:- Wm. T. Brantly (1820–1826)
- James Shannon (1826–1829)
- C. D. Mallory (1829–1835)
- W. J. Hard (1835–1839)
- Wm T. Brantly, Jr. (1840–1848)
- N. J. Foster (1849)
- C. B. Jannett (1849-1851)
- Dr. J. G. Binney (1852–1855)
- J. E. Ryerson (1855–1860)
- Dr. A. J. Huntington (1860–1865)
- J. H. Cuthbert (1865-1867)
- James Dixon ( 1869-1874)
- M. B. Wharton (1875)
- W. W. Landrum (Feb. 18, 1876- 1882)
- Dr. Lansing Burrors (1883-1889)
- Dr. Sparks W. Melton (1900-1909)
- Dr. M. Ashby Jones (1909-1917)
- Dr. William Vines (1917-1918)
- Dr. Edward L. Grace (1919-1927)
- Dr. Fredrick Smith (1927-1936)
- Dr. R. Paul Caudill (1937-1944)
- Dr. A. Warren Huyck (1944-1953)
- Dr.Robert Jackson Robinson (basketball & Baylor) (1953–1974)
- Dr. George Balentine (1975-1982)
- Dr. Charles Bugg (1982-1989)
- Dr. Timothy Owings (1990-2003)
- Dr. Greg DeLoach (2005-Present)
Further reading
- Isabella Jordan, A Century of Service
- Anna Olive Jones, History of the First Baptist Church, Augusta, Georgia, 1817–1967 (1967)
- Supplement to the History, 1967–1992 (1992)