Is your church over 150 years old?

from: Alan Gross

My current church home, Bryan Station Baptist Church, was founded in 1786 and still believes the same as it has through 40-something Presidents (Kentucky was not yet a state and John Handcock was President).

"Bryan Station Baptist Church is a local, visible,
called-out assembly of scripturally baptized believers,
covenanted together according to the Biblical pattern
of a “one member, one vote,” spirit-led democracy;

whose purpose is the carrying out
of the Great Commission of Matthew 28:16-20.

The Bible teaches that only such a church as this is authorized and constructed to be able to do so.

Our authority came, according to the Biblical doctrine of “church succession,” through particular New England “separate” Baptists who had sought out existing Baptist churches for this arm of authority.

Such were Elders Shubeal Sterns
and Daniel Marshall who, once they were saved,
sought out Baptist Baptism;

Shubeal Sterns at the Baptist Church at Toland,
Connecticut on May 20, 1751;

and Daniel Marshall from Winsor, Connecticut, saved and burdened to preach, came to Winchester, Virginia where he became convinced of the soundness of Baptist doctrine and was immersed at the age of forty-eight.

After a few years each under sound ministry, and after becoming licensed to preach by their respective churches, they were found laboring in Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia. They remained in Virginia only a short while “but the power of God was effectual in the conversion of Samuel Harris, a man of great distinction…” who at length became greatly used of the Lord.

“Sometime in 1766… Elijah Craig and two others came to this same Mr. Harris’s home in order to procure his services in Orange County, Va. and adjacent parts; to preach and baptize and organize new converts.

They found to their surprise that he himself at that time had not yet been ordained; but being more perfectly instructed in the way of the Lord he carried them about 60 miles into North Carolina to get James Read (who was ordained)

(Robert B. Semple, “A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia.”) and (John T. Christian, “A History of the Baptists,” pg. 215, vol. 2),

even as Jesus traveled at least as far to receive baptism at the hands of a Baptists preacher (Mark 1:9-14).

From this beginning churches were established and ordination by them was begun (John T. Christian, pg. 216, vol.2),

and a church was soon found at Spotsylvania, Va.
– the Spotsylvania Baptist Church, pastored by Elder Lewis Craig.

And it is from this church,
when it became the famous “Traveling Church” in September of 1781,

when Lewis Craig led the whole church
over the Cumberland Gap to settle in the blue grass region
of Central Kentucky,

that the authority for our Bryan Station Baptist Church came,
organized in 1786.

We believe we are to take our history seriously.

It is a glorious history. May the Lord grant we live up to it.


We are Missionary and have started several works throughout the states, including my first home church, and around the World.

• Churches Organized by Bryan Station

 

Church I grew up in was founded in the 1750s.

 

Yes, our church was founded in 1839 and has gone from a meeting house, to a Methodist church, to a United Methodist Church, to a Non-Denominational but Baptist in theology and practice church.

 

My church celebrated its 57th anniversary last Lord's Day, which is not very impressie, but our visiting speaker was John Woollam, Pastor of Newhouse Baptist church, one of the oldest in the UK, being founded in 1653.
Early History of Newhouse Baptist Church - Newhouse Baptist Church
The church is not quite in the middle of nowhere, but on a clear day you can see it from there!

 

Our church is 225 years old, and then some.

 

The South Jersey church where our daughter, SIL and grandkids serve was founded in 1865. Current building is a bit more modern than the original meeting house.

 

"History of Newhouse Baptist Church
The Church was founded as a Particular and Calvinistic Baptist Church in 1652, although, it would seem, the Baptists had been worshipping together for some years before this in the vicinity of Luppitt and Upottery."

That's the way it goes, sometimes.