North Salem Baptist Church History

Historical Overview

The Salem Baptist Church of Christ was solemnly organized and duly constituted on April 13, 1823 at the Salem meeting house. The church had begun as a mission endeavor of Sandy Hills Baptist Church, later named Powers Baptist in Eden, Ga. A covenant had been drawn up, was read, and adopted as a bond of Christian union to be observed sacredly. The covenant was signed by 14 adult males and 44 adult females who became the founding members of the Salem Baptist of Christ (the name changed to North Salem Baptist Church in 1843). The church has met continuously on this spot since 1823. The oldest surviving building was build in 1888 and bricked in the 1980s. The current sanctuary was built in 1997.

Full History

The Salem Baptist Church of Christ was solemnly organized and duly constituted on April 13, 1823 at the Salem meeting house. The church had begun as a mission endeavor of Sandy Hills Baptist Church, later named Powers Baptist in Eden, Ga. A covenant had been drawn up, was read, and adopted as a bond of Christian union to be observed sacredly. The covenant was signed by 25 men and 44 women who became the founding members of The Salem Baptist of Christ. There were 2 ministers at the constituting of the church – John Southwell and Dr. Allen Sweat. The first pastor of the church was decided by putting the names of Southwell and Sweat into a hat and drawing out one name. Dr. Sweat’s name was drawn and he served a pastor from 1823 until 1829 at which time John Southwell became pastor and served until 1835. Pastor Sweat died in May, 1837 at the age of 47 years and was buried in the church cemetery just outside the Keller family section of the cemetery. There is no recording of the church name being changed, but minutes of the church conference on August 20, 1843 began “North Salem Baptist Church”. One story passed down by word of mouth is that a church was established in the Midway area with the name also of Salem Baptist Church. To distinguish between the 2 churches, the church in Chatham county became “North” Salem. There were no preaching services for the entire year of 1863, but Sunday School and prayer meetings were carried on as usual. Revival in 1869 brought tremendous growth to North Salem. There were 29 additions to the church by baptism. In November of 1886 a committee was elected for the improvement of the church building. Their recommendation was to build a new building. The first sermon was preached in the new building on January 8, 1888. This is the same building where our Children’s Church is currently held every Sunday. In 1923 North Salem celebrated its 100th anniversary. L.D. Clark was the pastor. The sermon was brought by Rev. John S. Wilder, a prominent pastor from Savannah. The celebration was recorded in the Savannah Morning News. In 1927 the church building was remodeled and new pews were placed in the sanctuary. In 1952 plans were discussed for an educational building. However this project was not completed until 1961. In 1982 the sanctuary was bricked up. Rev. Will Barnes was pastor. In 1984 Rev. Barnes led North Salem to adopt a Constitution and By-laws. July/August, 1986 the largest Vacation Bible School ever recorded with enrollment of 230. November, 1986 was the completion and dedication of the new fellowship / education building. In 1991 North Salem became the recipient of a trust fund from a descendent of John A. Keller to be used for the sole purpose of erecting a new sanctuary in the memory of the George A. Keller family. George was a son of John who gave the original acre for the church. Construction of the new sanctuary began in 1996. The building was completed and was dedicated on Homecoming Day in April of 1997 under the leadership of pastor George Grimes. The original 1 acre site has now grown to 10.4 acres with 2 educational buildings, the original sanctuary which serves as Children’s Church, and the George A. Keller Sanctuary with a seating capacity of 400. Under God’s leadership and the direction of pastor Quillian Mercer we are affirming God’s ongoing work in training every member to become the evangelist needed to reach the vast number of families moving into one of the fastest growing areas in our association where North Salem is located. In 2018, we will celebrate 195 years of ministry on the same plot of land that John Keller originally gave for that purpose. We are proud of this church and the ministry it has provided to this community. We must maintain a constant effort to keep this ministry going and growing. We look to God for His leadership as we follow His leading to provide a place of worship in this area.