Why are you called Second Baptist Church?
Doesn’t being “second” have a pejorative sense, as in being, second-best or second rate? Third or Fourth Baptist Church doesn’t conjure up the same problem. Isn’t this a peculiar name to give to a church? If you are second, who’s first and why?
In our history, that question begs for a great story to be told. When John Mason Peck, the notable pioneer missionary, set foot in St. Louis in 1818, he intentionally decided to form the first Baptist church in St. Louis as an inter-racial congregation with a cross-racial ministry. He immediately set out to establish a day school for African American slaves and freed blacks in the village of St. Louis. No other congregation attempted to reach this community. And he brought whites and blacks together in this original Baptist church, identifying leaders across the racial line. It was Peck who encouraged John Berry Meacham, who was the first African American to be baptized and ordained in St. Louis. Yet, in 1828, the African Americans in this original church realized that they had a distinct mission to their own people and asked Peck if they could set out on their own. This permission was granted. It left behind a small group of members of European descent. St. Louis had only ceased to outlaw Protestants in 1804. Prior to that, the Roman Catholic Church was the state religion of Missouri. Change came slowly, and everything that original Baptist church did seemed to run counter to the civic authorities. Their building was condemned by the city and the church became entangled in an un-ending lawsuit with the city.
To their minds, the best solution was to close down the original Baptist church on one day and begin a new church several days later, thus giving birth to Second Baptist Church of St. Louis. The African American congregation, known as the First African Baptist Church, then became the First Baptist Church, which remains an active congregation in the city.
As “Second Baptist Church” we did as nearly all “mother churches” in other cities: we gave birth to eighteen churches around the city. We even employed “city evangelists” in the nineteenth century to help start new churches. At one time we were the largest Baptist church in America west of the Mississippi River. For many years, many of St. Louis’ most prominent civic and governmental leaders were members of our church. From the beginning, our pastors have been intellectually astute and socially engaged.
Yet, our history as Second Baptist Church is also unique from many other “old First churches” in other cities. All the way back to our beginning, Second Baptist Church has been more progressive than other Baptist churches in St. Louis. And on two occasions, it was actually our daughter churches that “gave us the boot” in 1894 and 1947. Because of this, we were no longer aligned with most other Baptist churches in the city or state. Since 1947, we have been “singly aligned” with the American Baptist Churches in the USA. Many other St. Louis Baptist congregations are associated with the Southern Baptist Convention or the National Baptist Convention or their off-shoots.
• We were more progressive in our inter-racial founding.
• We were more progressive as the first church in St. Louis to denounce slavery and the secession of Southern states at the on-set of the Civil War.
• We were early engaged in interfaith and ecumenical efforts.
• Women have been full and equal partners in our ministry for many years.
• We called a pacifist pastor several years after the close of World War II.
• Our current pastor is the president of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America.
We are proud to be called Second Baptist Church because…
• it leaves people wondering why
• it affords us the opportunity to tell our story
• it means, like Avis Car Rental used to say, “we have to try harder”
• it suggests that we are not puffed up with our own self-importance
• it allows us to surprise people as we are a congregation “second to none” in terms of our commitment to excellence, bold change, and an exciting future!
We’re Second Baptist Church – and proud to share the reason why!
Posted by Linda Novak on Dec 4, 2009 at 16:40:23 | Article Path: Home: About: Why are you called Second Baptist Church?
