The Statesboro Primitive Baptist Church was begun in October 1896 under the leadership of Elder M. F. Stubbs. A group of sixteen residents of Statesboro, holding membership in various churches in the county, felt the need for a church of their same faith in town. Services were held for several months in Field's Hall, located at what is presently the corner of Siebald and Courtland Streets. At this time the population of Statesboro was approximately 850.

Soon after the constitution of the church a building was begun on South Main Street, only to be leveled by a storm.

The next year a new building on Vine Street neared completion, and after the congregation had met for one service, was also destroyed by storm.

The third attempt was successful and in 1898 the small congregation began holding services in their new meeting house on the corner of Broad and Grady Streets. The facility served for several years during which time the congregation was blessed to grow. In 1899 the membership was 56.

As the church prospered, our present sanctuary was erected in 1923-24. Additions were made in 1950, 1961, and again in 1997.

During the first forty years of existence, the Statesboro Church met once a month, each second Sunday and the Saturday before. It was during this time that the first ladies circle was organized in 1920 for the purposes of fellowship and service. The church experienced continuous growth and in 1942 began bi-monthly services. During these years God blessed men and women to have vision as to the needs of the church and how to best fulfill those needs. A pastorium was bought to house our resident pastor and his family, and a structured Bible Study program was instituted in 1947. As the years passed there came a desire for more services and in 1951 the church increased services to full time.

These are only some landmarks of our church's existence. As important as these events might be, by far the most important events have the individual human lives transformed by the grace of God and made fit for service in His kingdom. The thrilling part of history is that each one of us is a part of it, and how we respond to the Master's call to service and Christian responsibility is our contribution to it.

M. F. Stubbs 1896-1912

W. H. Crouse 1912-1918

S. H. Watley 1918-1919

W. H. Crouse 1920-1928

A. R. Crumpton 1929-1931

W. H. Crouse 1931-1933

V. F. Agan 1934-1954

T. Roe Scott 1955-1961

Emory Jackson 1961-1966

Hoyt B. Simms 1967-1977

W. H. Durrence 1977-1989

John S. Mikell 1989-1994

George Daunhauer 1993-2001

Patrick McCoy 2002-2004

Randy Waters 2005-

If you have old photos of the Statesboro Primitive Baptist Church, or if you have historical information about the church, we would like to hear about it.

Please email us at the Statesboro Primitive Baptist Church and tell us what you have. Thank you!

By Elder R. Keith Hamilton

The following is an outline of 19th century Baptist churches in Bulloch County and how they are related to one another. The outline is simplified for clarity and ease of reading. These relationships are far more complicated, and it is rare that any of the later churches came out of only one previous church body.

The earliest generation churches were largely comprised of “new converts” and it is not thought that any were constituted as an arm or outreach of existing churches. These people were likely among the early pioneers to the Bulloch-Screven-Tattnall region.

Baptist history in Bulloch County begins with Nevils Creek Church, Lower Lotts Creek Church, and Upper Black Creek Church. No formal evangelical ties to other churches has been found.

THE MATRIARCHS (Mother Churches):
Nevils Creek - 1790, Lower Lotts Creek - 1801, Upper Black Creek - 1802

NEVILS CREEK (1790)
   --->Lower Mill Creek (1815)
   --->Upper Lotts Creek (1831) (Lower Lotts Creek also)

LOWER LOTTS CREEK (1801)
   --->Lake (1823)
            --->Metter (1900) (Upper Lotts Creek also)
   --->Bethlehem (1841) (Upper Lotts Creek also)
            --->Upper Mill Creek (1884) (Lower Mill Creek, Upper Lotts Creek also)
   --->Anderson (1847) (Cedar Creek, Beards Creek also)
            --->Bay Branch (1877)
            --->Canoochee (1910)
   --->Emmaus


UPPER BLACK CREEK (1802)
   --->Ash Branch (1804)
   --->Beards Creek (1804)
            --->Jones Creek (1806)
            --->Sarepta
            --->Salem (1808) - No longer exists
            --->Cedar Creek (1811)
            --->Watermelon Creek
            --->Gum Branch
            --->Antioch Missionary (1845) (Salem also)
                      --->Jerusalem (1865)
                      --->Bull Creek Missionary (1878)
   --->Popular Springs (1807), Laurens County
   --->Brushy Bluff (1822) - No longer exists
   --->Union (1825), Lanier County
   --->Lanes (1831)
   --->Lower Black Creek (1839) (Ash also)
   --->DeLoach (1840)
            --->Ephesus (1888)
   --->Old Fellowship (1844)
            --->Fellowship Primitive (1851)
                      --->Antioch Missionary (1863)
            --->Friendship Missionary (1883)
   --->New Hope (1871) - No longer exists
   --->Statesboro (1896) (Bethlehem, Lower Lotts, Upper Lotts also)
            --->Brooklet (1914)
   --->Middleground (1897) (Lanes, Statesboro also)
   --->Red Hill (1902)

There are several churches that have not been situated in the outline, including Mt. Olive (1880) and Mt. Carmel (1884) which no longer exists, and Claxton (1909). This outline is a work in progress and may contain errors. It is subject to revision due to lack of knowledge of the early history of some of the churches.

If you have historical information about, or old photos of any of these churches, we would like to hear about it. Please email Elder Keith Hamilton and tell us what you have. Thank you!

A: The London Confession of Faith
The history of the Primitive Baptists can be traced back to the Reformation of the early sixteenth century in England. During this time, many religious leaders came forth to dispute the teachings of the Roman Catholic faith and the organizational structure of the churches themselves. Calvin emerged from this time as a leader championing the teachings of Bishop Augustine. He supported the ideals of God's sovereignty in creation, salvation, as well as the idea of predestination.

The first English Baptist Church was founded in 1611 and embraced Arminian theology. A Particular Baptist church embracing Calvinism was founded in 1638. Once this church and line of belief was established, concern emerged for documentation of true beliefs. As a result, the 1644 London Confession of Faith was written. It incorporated Calvinist religious theology.

The confession outlined the major issues that were to separate Baptists from other Christian bodies. Baptists would be congregationally governed but completely separated from the state. As orthodox Christians, they would uphold adult baptism by immersion as the apostolic mode of baptism.

B. The Black Rock Address
In the late 1700s and early 1800s, some Baptist churches in America adopted various doctrines and practices which differed significantly from Baptist standards. During these same times, there were many Baptist churches which held to traditional views. The contention between these groups became so sharp that new fractures began to develop in Baptist fellowship as of the late 1820s. Division was accelerated in 1832 when a group of the conservative Baptists met at Black Rock, Maryland to compose a general address in which they announced and explained their resolve to withdraw fellowship from the liberal doctrines and practices. The resulting document, generally known as the Black Rock Address, had widespread influence, and lead churches across the country to take similar action. The conservative churches deriving from this unfortunate but necessary division later became known as Primitive Baptists. The word ”Primitive” meant original or old Baptists.

C. Primitive Baptist Church Split
About the year 1909 there arose a division among the Primitive Baptists, or Old School Baptists, concerning the use of musical instruments in the church and "protracted meetings." Any meeting that continued more than three days was considered a "protracted meeting." These two things were the main issues, but from all appearances preacher jealousy was the real cause of the division. Those abstaining from the use of musical instruments and declining to go beyond three days in a meeting named themselves "Old Liners" and branded those whom they opposed as "Progressive." Progressive Primitive Baptists do have Bible Study classes, Youth Fellowship meetings and musical instruments in their churches whereas the Old Line Baptists do not.