As a white church in a city that is 95 percent African- American, First Baptist Church, Tuskegee, had seen a drastic decline in membership since its high attendance days of the 1960s.
In 1961 the church had 274 active members. By 1989 that number had dropped to 83. And by 2015 only nine members were able to come to church, leaving the church’s 300-seat sanctuary largely empty. The remaining members knew it was time to initiate the plan for closure that they had been talking about for several years, according to the church’s last pastor and retired Tuskegee Lee Baptist Association director of missions Don Johnson.
“One of our oldest members suggested that when it came time to close, we ought to consider giving it to the black church our church started during the Civil War,” Johnson said. “We met with them, talked with them and, in the end, voted to give them the building and the property.”
Passing the keys
First, Tuskegee, held its last service Aug. 16. On Nov. 8 the church held a joint celebration service with Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, the new owner of the building and property, and officially handed over the keys.
Mount Olive Baptist has a long history of missions involvement in the community. The church has started five churches in the Tuskegee area during its 157-year history. The proximity of the First, Tuskegee, campus to Tuskegee University will offer Mount Olive Baptist an opportunity to increase its ministry to students as well. The building will now be called the Mount Olive First Baptist Campus Family and Community Multi-Purpose Center.
Though Mount Olive Baptist does not plan to use the sanctuary in the near future, the church’s history of planting churches leaves Johnson optimistic that someday there might be an opportunity for a congregation to worship in the sanctuary once more. Johnson also is confident that the legacy of First, Tuskegee, will not be forgotten, as Mount Olive Baptist plans to set up a memorial room to recognize some of the milestones of the church’s 176-year history.
In the end the decision at First, Tuskegee, was not about money but rather about stewardship, Johnson said.
“We had money to keep running but this is a missions-minded church,” Johnson said. “We felt Mount Olive could use the building and property to continue the work of the Kingdom.”
Kingdom work also is at the heart of a recent decision by Rocky Ridge Baptist Church, Hoover, in Birmingham Baptist Association (BBA), to deed their church facilities and property to Celebration Church, a 7-year-old church plant.
Like First, Tuskegee, Rocky Ridge Baptist had an aging congregation that could not keep up with the needs of its facilities. Celebration Church, a contemporary church plant with a younger congregation of 60 members, needed a permanent location to call home. Under the agreement between the two churches members of Rocky Ridge will be able to meet in the facilities as long as it remains a constituted church. The churches held a joint worship and celebration service Sept. 20 to celebrate the transfer of the property to Celebration Church.
Lowell Vann, pastor of Rocky Ridge, called the agreement a “win-win situation” for both congregations. He said the greatest joy has been seeing children again in the church.
All age groups
“The average age of our congregation is around 70, and we had not had children in the church for at least a decade. It’s been wonderful to have a full congregation representing all age groups again,” Vann said.
Mike McLemore, BBA director of missions, said he was happy everything worked out so well for the two churches. Both churches are members of BBA and the association provided valuable guidance and direction throughout the merger process, Vann said.
David Bradford, pastor of Celebration Church, said the agreement shows what can happen when churches focus on the bigger mission of the Church.
“We love our friends at Rocky Ridge Baptist. They are like family to us and us to them,” Bradford said. “It’s a testimony as to what can happen when two congregations seek to put Christ first and work together.”
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