Walnut Street Baptist Church is a

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...

, Christian former

megachurch A megachurch is a church with a very large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities. Most megachurches are Evangelical, although the term denotes a type of organization, not a denomination. A megachurch draws 2 ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. It is associated with the

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...

Kentucky Baptist Convention The Kentucky Baptist Convention (KBC) is a state Baptist convention affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Headquartered in Louisville, it is made up of nearly 2,400 churches and 71 local associations.

, and the Long Run Baptist Association.

History

Walnut Street Baptist Church was founded in 1815 as the First

Baptist Church Baptists are a denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers ( believer's baptism) and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches generally subscribe to the doctrines of ...

. In the beginning, the

congregation Congregation may refer to: Religion *Church (congregation), a religious organization that meets in a particular location *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administrative body of the Catholic Church *Religious congregation, a type of religious instit ...

had 18 members who met primarily in their homes. The congregation served the Louisville community for 30 years as First Baptist Church. In 1845 the First and Second Baptist churches called the same pastor and the two congregations merged and built a facility on the corner of Fourth and Walnut Street (now called Muhammad Ali Boulevard) in

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

. The newly merged congregation's sanctuary could seat 600. It remained in that location until 1902. It was decided to move as the congregation had outgrown its facility with Sunday school attendance topping 1000. At that time Walnut Street Baptist Church was moved to its present location on the corner of Third and Saint Catherine streets in what is now

Old Louisville Old Louisville is a historic district and neighborhood in central Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is the third largest such district in the United States, and the largest preservation district featuring almost entirely Victorian archite ...

. By this time it was considered by some to be the largest church in the South. As the 20th century progressed the church grew to encompass over two city blocks. By the 1960s the congregation was responsible for starting directly or indirectly 78 churches in the Long Run Association encompassing the Louisville area. In the 1970s and 1980s, this racially diverse downtown congregation stayed in its location despite over two-thirds of the congregation living outside the downtown corridor. Expanded inner-city and activities ministries were added at this time to adapt to urban ministry in the latter part of the century. Peak attendance in this period exceeded 3,500 in Sunday School and weekly worship. The 1970s also saw the beginning of the living Christmas tree which continued until 2006. This annual "gift to the city" of choral and instrumental performance was free and drew on average 35,000 to its 16 performances at its peak. In the 1990s the congregation recommitted itself to its downtown philosophy by undertaking a multimillion-dollar campus update. Today the congregation has active ministries including a retirement home, subsidized apartments, a counseling center, weekly worship, Christian education, Christian social ministry, global mission partnerships, and recreational activities, and sustains a membership of over 2,500. Current weekly attendance is about 350.

Notes

References

*
Ky Baptist Convention Listing

Info from Baptist Press

* ttp://www.kbhc.org/our_history.php

Reference in Text Book
* Baker, Robert. ed. ''A Baptist Source Book''. Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman Press, 1966. * Leonard, Bill J. "COMMUNITY IN DIVERSITY : A HISTORY OF THE WALNUT BAPTIST CHURCH 1815 - 1990" Louisville, Ky. Simons - Neely Publishing Co 1990 096277880X {{coord, 38, 14, 12.4, N, 85, 45, 26.8, W, type:landmark_region:US-KY, display=title Churches in Louisville, Kentucky Baptist churches in Kentucky Religious organizations established in 1815 Churches completed in 1845 Churches completed in 1902 1815 establishments in Kentucky