ABOUT US

A group of committed believers you can call family.

CULTURAL VALUES

We reflect Christ in everything we do.
We want people who are passionate about the church and available to serve.
We respect tradition, but don't allow it to derail the Gospel mission.
We train others to serve through meaningful relationships, trust, & accountability.
We don’t need perfect leaders, but humble ones willing to grow and serve.
We avoid conflict and confusion by talking to people, not about them.

MISSION

To partner with young people who are passionate about serving the Church & their community.

VISION

To strengthen the Church by embracing a culture committed to encouraging, challenging, and equipping healthy servant leaders & sending them out.

OUR HISTORY

We were the first denomination to have a church building in the Village of Wilmington in 1817. On April 6, 1853, the church erected a building on the corner of Walnut and Locust Streets to worship and minister in the name and grace of Jesus Christ. The congregation chose the name of First Baptist Church of Wilmington, Ohio. In 1914, church growth presented a need for a larger, more modern building, which resulted in our present structure on the same corner.

The church remained stable throughout the rest of the 1900s but then started to decline in the late 80s/90s. A series of pastors came and went in shorter stints, bringing new congregants but then taking them and others when they left. The congregation continued declining in the early 2000s from 85 to 65 to 40 to 20 until it hit a new low in 2022 with only 8 people in attendance and a tense atmosphere.

Spirits were low but quietly, a fire began to burn in the hearts of the congregants that remained as the Spirit worked. There was a realization that doing what the church had always done was killing its culture and future. Slowly but surely the congregation embraced change and left numbers to God while the Spirit brought new members and opportunities to serve.

The main goal of the church is no longer to grow, no longer to be what it once was. But now it is to serve, and First Baptist hopes that through serving God will entrust us with new people to witness to and disciple. One of the ways that the church has embraced that is through the Train To Serve Internship Program. It seeks to partner with young men and women who want to serve Christ's Church wherever God sends them by providing equipping & experience in ministry.