First Baptist Church of Jacksonville
Encyclopedia
The First Baptist Church of Jacksonville is a large Southern Baptist
church located in downtown Jacksonville
, Florida
, U.S. With its current membership at 28,000 and with an average attendance of around 7,500 for Sunday services, it is the third largest in the Southern Baptist Convention. First Baptist Church has its origins in the oldest Baptist congregation in Jacksonville, Bethel Baptist Church
, established in 1838. The church experienced a period of considerable growth in the mid-20th century, and now encompasses eleven square blocks of downtown Jacksonville. Several former pastors, including Homer G. Lindsay, Jr.
and Jerry Vines
, were widely influential in the Southern Baptist Convention, leading it in both growth and a shift towards conservatism
and fundamentalist Christianity
.
(now Bethel Baptist Institutional Church), founded under co-pastors James McDonald and Ryan Frier, the earliest Baptist church to be founded in Jacksonville. Bethel Baptist was established in July 1838 with only six charter members, four whites and two blacks, the latter of whom were slaves of white members. Membership quickly grew, with most early congregants being black slaves who received day passes from their masters to attend. The first meetings were held at "Mother Sam's", a local plantation, and in 1861 a permanent meeting hall was erected in downtown Jacksonville at Church and Julia Streets. The Bethel Baptist Church remained interracial until after the American Civil War
, at which point the decision was made to segregate
the congregation by race. White members attempted to force out the blacks, and took their case to court. However, the court found in favor of the blacks, who were in the majority, determining that they were the rightful owners of the Bethel Baptist name and property. As a result the whites formed Tabernacle Baptist Church, which was eventually renamed First Baptist Church. Bethel Baptist Institutional Church now numbers its congregation at approximately 10,000 members.
In 1866 Tabernacle Baptist Church purchased the Church Street property from Bethel Baptist Church, as was required by the court. The church went through a number of changes over the next years, and in 1892 it moved to its current location between Church and Hogan Streets, and adopted the name First Baptist Church. The building was entirely destroyed in the Great Fire of 1901
, which ravaged downtown Jacksonville. In 1903 the foundation was laid for a new building, eventually named Hobson Auditorium, which was completed within a year.
The church went through many pastors from 1923 to 1940 and accumulated a debt of $125,000, lost a seven-story educational building, and had no facilities to accommodate the growth.
In July 2006, ChurchReport.com ranked First Baptist Church of Jacksonville 19th of the 50 Most Influential Churches in the United States.
Jerry Vines and First Baptist Church received national attention in June 2002 for his controversial statements regarding Islam
.
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...
church located in downtown Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, U.S. With its current membership at 28,000 and with an average attendance of around 7,500 for Sunday services, it is the third largest in the Southern Baptist Convention. First Baptist Church has its origins in the oldest Baptist congregation in Jacksonville, Bethel Baptist Church
Bethel Baptist Institutional Church
Bethel Baptist Institutional Church is a historic Baptist church in Jacksonville, Florida, in the United States. Founded in 1838, it is the city's oldest Baptist congregation...
, established in 1838. The church experienced a period of considerable growth in the mid-20th century, and now encompasses eleven square blocks of downtown Jacksonville. Several former pastors, including Homer G. Lindsay, Jr.
Homer G. Lindsay, Jr.
Homer G. Lindsay, Jr. was an American Southern Baptist preacher. He co-pastored the nation's third-largest Southern Baptist church, the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida, with Jerry Vines...
and Jerry Vines
Jerry Vines
Charles Jerry Vines is an American preacher and former pastor of the then nation's third largest Southern Baptist church, the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida. Like his former co-pastor Homer G...
, were widely influential in the Southern Baptist Convention, leading it in both growth and a shift towards conservatism
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
and fundamentalist Christianity
Fundamentalist Christianity
Christian fundamentalism, also known as Fundamentalist Christianity, or Fundamentalism, arose out of British and American Protestantism in the late 19th century and early 20th century among evangelical Christians...
.
History
First Baptist Church traces its origins to Bethel Baptist ChurchBethel Baptist Institutional Church
Bethel Baptist Institutional Church is a historic Baptist church in Jacksonville, Florida, in the United States. Founded in 1838, it is the city's oldest Baptist congregation...
(now Bethel Baptist Institutional Church), founded under co-pastors James McDonald and Ryan Frier, the earliest Baptist church to be founded in Jacksonville. Bethel Baptist was established in July 1838 with only six charter members, four whites and two blacks, the latter of whom were slaves of white members. Membership quickly grew, with most early congregants being black slaves who received day passes from their masters to attend. The first meetings were held at "Mother Sam's", a local plantation, and in 1861 a permanent meeting hall was erected in downtown Jacksonville at Church and Julia Streets. The Bethel Baptist Church remained interracial until after the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, at which point the decision was made to segregate
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
the congregation by race. White members attempted to force out the blacks, and took their case to court. However, the court found in favor of the blacks, who were in the majority, determining that they were the rightful owners of the Bethel Baptist name and property. As a result the whites formed Tabernacle Baptist Church, which was eventually renamed First Baptist Church. Bethel Baptist Institutional Church now numbers its congregation at approximately 10,000 members.
In 1866 Tabernacle Baptist Church purchased the Church Street property from Bethel Baptist Church, as was required by the court. The church went through a number of changes over the next years, and in 1892 it moved to its current location between Church and Hogan Streets, and adopted the name First Baptist Church. The building was entirely destroyed in the Great Fire of 1901
Great Fire of 1901
The Great Fire of 1901 in Jacksonville, Florida was one of the worst disasters in Florida history and the largest urban fire in the Southeast. It was similar in scale and destruction to the 1871 Great Chicago Fire.-Origin:...
, which ravaged downtown Jacksonville. In 1903 the foundation was laid for a new building, eventually named Hobson Auditorium, which was completed within a year.
The church went through many pastors from 1923 to 1940 and accumulated a debt of $125,000, lost a seven-story educational building, and had no facilities to accommodate the growth.
A New Era
In 1940, Homer Lindsey, Sr. was called to be the new senior pastor of First Baptist Church and completely revitalized the church. By the end of 1943, the church became debt free and continues to be debt free to this day. In 1948, the church built its first educational building debt free. During this time, membership grew as well as contributions which was the main factor in the revitalization process. In 1969, Lindsey's son Homer Lindsey, Jr. came to First Baptist as Co-pastor. The two Lindseys would lead the church together until Lindsey, Sr.'s retirement in 1975. The membership of First Baptist grew so much that a new sanctuary was completed in 1976. This sanctuary, the Ruth Lindsey Auditorium, was also State of the Art and could seat 3,500 people. The Miracle of Downtown Jacksonville, as First Baptist has become known as, continued in 1982 when Dr. Jerry Vines became Co-pastor with Dr. Lindsey, Jr. Up until 1988, the church had expanded to nine buildings and membership went from 2,385 to 14,172. In the 1980s, the church created the Pastor's Conference which is a 5 day conference for pastors from across the United States. In 1993, First Baptist had grown so much that a new State of the Art sanctuary was completed that could seat nearly 10,000 people. Dr. Lindsey, Jr. died in 2000 and Dr. Vines continued leading the church forward. In 2002, the Children's Building and Welcome Center was completed which allowed First Baptist to encompass 11 square blocks of Downtown Jacksonville. Dr. Vines retired on February 7, 2006 after serving First Baptist for 23 years. On February 19, 2006 Dr. Mac Brunson was called to be the new pastor. Today, First Baptist Church has a membership of over 29,000 people and an annual budget of $14 million dollars.In July 2006, ChurchReport.com ranked First Baptist Church of Jacksonville 19th of the 50 Most Influential Churches in the United States.
Jerry Vines and First Baptist Church received national attention in June 2002 for his controversial statements regarding Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.