Our History
First Baptist Church,
Greenwood, Arkansas
Our church was established soon after the Civil War, around 1865. At first, the small group began meeting in the wood-frame courthouse on the town square, then moved from there to the Masonic Hall after it was erected in 1871.
Our first pastor was William Greenlee who was also pastoring Oak Bower (Lavaca) at the time. Under his leadership, the congregation joined with the Arkansas State Baptist Convention* in 1870 and became a part of the Dardanelle Association. A year later, several local churches from our area joined to form the Concord Association*.
In 1881, a one-room box church building was built two blocks east of the business district. When the Midland Valley Depot was built across the street in 1903, the church building was moved virtually intact to our present location.
James C. Williamson became our first full-time pastor in 1904 and laid the cornerstone for a new church in 1909.
After years of steady growth, the church was remodeled and a larger worship area, seating 600, was built in 1954. James Benton was the pastor.
In 1975, Milton "Pete" James became pastor and over the next 22 years several new buildings were added including our current worship center built in 1979 which seats 1000.
In 2005, under the leadership of Ronnie Deal, the Recreational Outreach Center (ROC) was completed as a fellowship center for our church members and an outreach opportunity to our community. It is the desire of the members of the Greenwood First Baptist Church to continue the mission started 150 years ago, to serve God as a local church reaching out to others and "Leading People to a Love Relationship with Jesus Christ."