Our History

Our church appears to have been constituted in 1867, but the exact date is unknown. The earliest members originally named their congregation Forrestville Baptist Church. The following men may have been among the charter members: Miles Reece, James W. Langston, C. William Sprout, A. Trammell, W.W. Brewer, G.J. Dykes, Josephus McKenzie, W.D. Hassell, E.M. Johnson, E.N. McCurry, and F.W. Quarles.

A donor originally gave property to the church in January 1868 on the corner of Kingston Avenue and Church Street.

Two ministers who served the church in its early years were D.J. Moreland (1870) and W.J. King (1871). The church held a revival in 1870 and saw fifty professions of faith, some of whom likely joined the church. Pastor Moreland and the Methodist preacher (Odum) were both instrumental in conducting the revival.

Forrestville Baptist Church became a member of the Oostanaula Baptist Association in 1870. The association was comprised of churches in Floyd County and surrounding counties. Pastor W.J. King was on a committee in 1871 to investigate joining the Georgia Baptist Convention. The church membership numbered thirty-eight people in 1871.

The church relocated in 1881 to donated property at the corner of Calhoun Avenue and Reservation Street. The move to North Broad Street occurred in 1885.

Six pastors served the church between 1889 and 1903: W.M. Bridges, M.B. Tuggle, J.G. Hunt, J.W. Pulled, A.H. Latimer, and J.F. Culpeper. It is unknown who pastored the church during two years in that same span of time. The church held services on the second Sunday of every month. Traditional Southern Baptist organizations—Women’s Missionary Union, Sunbeams, and B.Y.P.U.—became part of the church program in these years. Members also permitted local Methodists to share their building until the Methodists’ new church reached completion.

The church was still finding its footing in the early 1890s. The congregation experienced two name changes during this period: North Rome Baptist Church in 1892 and Third Baptist Church in 1896.

The church also had a difficult time raising enough money to meet its needs. The Women’s Missionary Union (WMU) and its unique fundraising capabilities became an important resource for the church. The group bought chairs for the congregation, paid the church’s electric bill, and added wings to the building in 1903.

The church became a founding member of the Floyd County Baptist Association in 1893. The church stayed very active in the association from its very beginning.

The church had three pastors from 1904 to 1923: C.L. Conn (1904-1915), John Wyatt (came in 1916), and Gordon Ezell (came in 1919).

The name of the church was changed again in 1905 to become North Broad Baptist Church. Membership climbed to 534 people after revivals added 144 new members in 1921 and 102 in 1922.

The WMU continued to provide for the maintenance of the building by painting the interior, installing carpet, buying doors, and adding two Sunday school rooms to the back of the church.

The years from 1924 to 1951 marked a period of numerical growth, organizational innovation, and financial generosity. The pastors of the church during this time were Herbert Massey (for five months) and O.E. Rutland. Church membership grew from 534 people to 1,049 in these years. The church boasted a standard Sunday school and 196 people enrolled in Training Union. Attendance at Sunday night service averaged 316 people. Five members were licensed to preach and at least four were ordained to the ministry.

The church began to conduct two new organizations for young people. The Girls Auxiliary (GAs) was organized in 1929. North Broad also had the distinction of being one of only two churches in the entire country with a Baptist Young Men’s Brotherhood (BYMB).

The building saw changes on three different occasions from 1924 to 1951. The exterior of the building changed dramatically with the addition of brick. Two-story additions provided new space for the pastor’s study and the Junior and Intermediate Departments. The church also purchased land for a parsonage that was finally built in 1940 and completely paid for in a mere four years.

The church may have held its first Vacation Bible School in 1937. Men of the church founded a Brotherhood organization in 1938. The church also started a new library during these years, made a nursery available during church services, and even conducted its own orchestra for a while. The church bought Pastor Rutland and his wife a new car upon the pastor’s retirement in 1951.

Two pastors and an interim minister served the church between 1952 and 1974. The church called R.W. Tucker to be its pastor in 1952, followed by Hugh Peacock. Jim Dillard served as an interim pastor. At least four members were ordained to the ministry during these years: Harry D. Trulove, Horace Stewart, Jimmy D. Lewis, and Paul Fowler.

The church voted in 1963 to build a new sanctuary. The congregation also purchased property in North Hills for use as a new parsonage.

Sunday school attendance and church membership began to decline during this period. The church also discontinued its Training Union.

The church called Rev. Van Modling to become its pastor on July 7, 1975. The congregation finally tore down its old church building and built a new sanctuary. The new sanctuary hosted its first service on August 15, 1976. Food, Fellowship, and Fun (FFF or “Triple F”) was organized for the older members of the congregation. Van Modling resigned effective November 28, 1982, so J.E. Dillard served as interim pastor for the intervening months. The church called Bob Moon as pastor in June 1983.

The early 1980s saw several changes and innovations. A Long Range Planning Committee was formed in 1982, and the church adopted new Personnel Policies and Procedures. The church also cut back its gifts to the Cooperative Program and dropped the Christian Index from its budget. The church hosted its first live nativity in 1983, which became an annual tradition for a long time. The church also enjoyed an emphasis on “Celebrating Our Heritage” in the mid-1980s that featured services led by former pastors and ministers of North Broad.

The year 1989 began with a bang for equality in Christ at North Broad Baptist Church. The church instructed the deacon nominating committee to select nominees without regard to gender. Lorainne Moman and June Salman became the church’s first women deacons.

Rev. Bob Moon resigned as pastor after serving North Broad for six years. He became pastor at North Stuart Baptist Church in Stuart, Florida. Steve Sheeley served as interim pastor in Moon’s absence starting in September 1989. Less than a year later the church called Rev. Doug Burrell. Burrell started his pastorate in July 1990. Ryan Forbes served as Minister of Music during Burrell’s pastorate.

North Broad also began its three-year rotational cycle of missions (international, national, and local) during this period. The church had taken domestic mission trips before, but the rotations began with a one-week international trip to Quarapari, Brazil. Seventeen members joined the church’s first overseas mission trip and built a church in Brazil. The cycle of mission trips continued for many more years.

The church formed a committee in 1994 to study a possible merger with Fifth Avenue Baptist Church. The merger needed 134 votes to succeed, but it was defeated by one vote. That same year twenty-one volunteers conducted an international mission trip to London, England.

Rev. Doug Burrell served the church through August 31, 1994. Rob Nash became interim pastor after Burrell’s departure, preaching for the church until Rev. Greg Pope acquired the pulpit in October 1995. Ryan Forbes’s position also underwent a change in responsibilities. Forbes became Minister of Music/Associate Pastor. The church celebrated his tenth anniversary on June 18, 1995, and fourteen people participated in a mission trip to Dade County, Florida that year. Forbes’s title underwent another change in 1996. He became Associate Pastor of Music/Administration.

Several renovations and new purchases occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The church embarked on some important renovations in 1997, even installing an elevator to serve all floors of the educational building. The sanctuary underwent renovations and was finally rededicated for use on January 10, 1999. The church celebrated twenty-five years in the sanctuary on August 19, 2021. The church also purchased a new organ in 2002 and bought a fifteen-passenger bus.

North Broad ordained several members who served the church well in the late 1990s and early 2000s. William Beaver received ordination to the ministry in 1998. Beaver served as Youth Minister and inaugurated the Community Brunch on October 24, 1998. The Community Brunch would continue for many more years and celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2023. The church also conducted a mission trip to Hobart, Oklahoma in 1998. Harold Newman, the church pianist, celebrated his tenth anniversary with the church in 1999.

North Broad ordained its first two women candidates for ministry around the turn of the 21st century. Becky Hartzog received ordination in 1999, and Andrea Dellinger was ordained in 2001. Dellinger became the church’s Minister of Youth after William Beaver moved to another position in ministry.

Several programmatic and bylaw changes also occurred in the early 2000s. The church amended its bylaws in 1999 to allow persons to join North Broad from Christian denominations that do not require baptism by immersion, provided that they (1) have confessed Jesus Christ as Lord, and (2) have received full membership into a Christian church through an act of their own (confirmation or baptism). The church also adopted a new church covenant in 2000 and began the tradition of holding an annual covenant renewal service.

The church remained ecumenical and mission-oriented as one millennium passed into another. The church held Sunday evening services with Rome United Methodist Church in February 2000. The international mission trip that same year took church members to Romania, and the following year a work crew labored in Blanding, Utah on a Native American reservation. The church also started Hoops, Helps, and Heroes, which helped neighborhood children with tutoring one Saturday each month.

Revs. Greg Pope and Ryan Forbes took ministry positions in other churches. Rob Nash began preaching in the interim period after the departures of the two ministers. Bill Adams assumed responsibility for pastoral care, and Steve Sheeley led music.

The church called Katrina and Tony Brooks to serve as its co-pastors in November 2003, which was an innovative approach to the pastorate. Pastor Katrina was the first clergywoman to serve as the church’s senior pastor. Members soon renovated the children’s department and sponsored a summer mission trip to Poland. The following year a mission team went to Washington state.

The church adopted a mission statement in 2004 that read as follows: “A Family of Faith Offering to All the Grace of God Through Jesus Christ.” That statement signaled the church’s intention to be open and inclusive to all potential followers of Jesus.

The church also resigned from the Floyd County Baptist Association, ending a relationship that had lasted 111 years. The association’s adoption of the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message—a confession that rejected gender equality in Christ among other problems—necessitated the church’s departure from that body.

The church nevertheless continued its outreach and emphasis on mission. Space on the third floor of the education building received renovations in 2005-2006 to become a great space for youth. The church also started a small drama group. Approximately 40 children attended a week-long Vacation Bible School conducted by members in 2006. The theme was “Avalanche Ranch.”

North Broad also continued taking mission trips in the 2000s. A mission trip to Pearlington, Mississippi in 2006 marked the church’s participation in the rebuilding of the gulf coast after Hurricane Katrina. The church conducted a mission trip to Argentina in the following year to participate in a building project.

North Broad convened a search team in September 2007 to find a full-time Minister of Music. Besides the prior search for a senior pastor, this was the first effort at finding another full-time staff person since the hiring of Ryan Forbes as Minister of Music in the early 1990s. The church tapped Gwen Stephens to lead the music ministry in 2008.

The history of North Broad Baptist Church from 2008 onward reflects a dynamic blend of pastoral leadership, facility improvements, mission outreach, and a steadfast commitment to worship and community service. These milestones capture the church’s resilience, adaptability, and dedication to ministry.

Leadership transitions during this period shaped much of the church’s growth. Pastors Tony and Katrina Brooks ended their tenure in 2011, departing for ministry work in Virginia. The church called Micah Pritchett as pastor in September 2012, whose leadership would guide North Broad through pivotal moments, including the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, Prissy Tunnell joined as Children’s Minister in 2011 and expanded her responsibilities to include music ministry in 2012 following Gwen Stephens' departure, who had served since 2008.

Facility improvements also underscored the church’s commitment to maintaining a welcoming environment. Renovations began in 2009, including updates to Rutland Hall, stairwell carpeting, and third-floor classrooms. By 2011, the kitchen was completely modernized, followed by church office renovations in 2012 and updates to the Tucker Educational Center in 2014. A significant project during this time involved the removal and eventual restoration of the church’s iconic belltower. Removed in 2015 due to structural concerns, the belltower was reinstalled and dedicated during the church’s 150th-anniversary celebrations in 2017.

Mission work remained a cornerstone of North Broad’s identity, with international trips to Argentina, Chile, Peru, Slovakia, and Spain between 2007 and 2016. These efforts were complemented by domestic mission trips to Mississippi, Iowa, and Alabama, and ongoing local mission weeks in 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2017, where church members served community agencies and individuals in need.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges in 2020, halting in-person worship for over a year. The church adapted with online worship, daily devotionals by Pastor Micah, and creative ministry solutions like drive-by Ash Wednesday services and brown-bag community brunches. These innovations ensured the continuity of worship and connection during a difficult time.

Through pastoral transitions, facility improvements, extensive mission work, and a commitment to worship and service, North Broad Baptist Church has consistently exemplified faithfulness and resilience.