History of First Baptist Church Phenix City
Our History
First Baptist Church was organized October 27, 1871, at 1608 Fifth Avenue, known as Brownville at the time. There were less than 20 members of Girard Baptist Church which withdrew their membership and organized First Baptist Church of Phenix City.
Mr. W. C. Bradley, Columbus, Ga. gave the lot upon which the church building was constructed. The first church building was a one room wooden frame building with a seating capacity of about 150. Sunday school was held in the afternoon with all classes meeting in one room. Baptismal services were held at the Chattahoochee River as the original church had no baptistery.
In 1908 an extensive remodeling program was begun and completed in 1909. In January 1923 the first Sunday school annex was built. The church was incorporated in January 1923. In 1940 the entire interior of the church building was remodeled at a cost of approximately $14,000. Church services were held in the Palace Theatre and the Russell County Court House during the remodeling period. The educational building was constructed and dedicated on February 14, 1954.
In 1964 the church purchased eleven acres of land at 2608 Summerville Road. Construction on the new building began on June 15, 1970, and dedicated on June 6, 1971, at a cost of approximately $400,000 including furnishings.
Today, we are blessed to have exceptional spaces for worship, Christian education and recreational use with no bank debt.
Over the past 20 years, our church family became more diverse, and our core beliefs increasingly differed from many of the statements in the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message. As a result, we gradually stepped back from being an active supporter to the local, state, and national programs associated with the Southern Baptist Convention.
In July of 2024, First Baptist Church unanimously voted to disaffiliate with the Russell Baptist Association, the Alabama Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention.
At present, we are a diverse congregation representing all ethnic groups and essentially all walks of life. We, as a church, believe that God loves everyone, and that salvation is available to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.