We are a community of believers in Jesus Christ whose history goes back beyond 1853 when the first building was erected here.
Today we are committed to sharing the love of Jesus Christ with our community and the world. We seek to do this through meaningful worship, Bible study and educational opportunities, and through community outreach ministries like Ridge Day, partnerships with our area schools and other ministries in our area.
In addition, whether through prayer, study, financial support or hands-on involvement, we seek to be a community actively involved in communicating the exciting story of God’s love throughout the world.
Our prayer is that this site will be a gateway for you so that you might understand the opportunities available to you through Ridge Church. More important than that, we pray that you will come to know firsthand how much God loves you and how important you are to Him and to us.
Our Mission
Ridge Baptist Church seeks to glorify God through prayer, praise, and worship. We invite others to belong to our family of faith where they will learn about God’s will and purpose for their lives. We are here to focus on carrying Christ’s love to our community and to the world. This is our mission because we believe that if everyone matters to God, everyone should matter to us.
Ridge’s History
Early records indicate a church (Meeting House) was established on the present church grounds on June 1, 1849. A church building was erected between 1851 and 1853, and during the Civil War, it was used as a hospital for the sick and wounded by the Confederacy. Window panes from the original building are found in the foyer of the present Sanctuary. Ridge Baptist Church was officially organized in 1878. During the 1920’s, additional Sunday School rooms were constructed. From 1949 to 1952, a sanctuary basement unit, a church parsonage, and a new sanctuary were constructed. During the 1950’s, tremendous growth began in the community as housing developments and businesses moved further west and towards the church.
By 1957, due to continued growth, two worship services were held each Sunday and all available education space was utilized. This necessitated more construction. In 1962, the Activities Building (now, Creative Living Center) was added along with more parking spaces. On May 23, 1965, Milestone Day was celebrated which marked the complete curtailment of indebtedness. The present sanctuary was dedicated on May 7, 1967.
In 1983, women were ordained as deacons for the first time in the history of the church, and an Arabic-speaking congregation was begun at Ridge.
On May 31, 1987, a note burning service for the retirement of the debt on the present sanctuary was held. In the spring of 1988, Ridge sponsored the beginning of a mission church, now constituted as Wynbrook Baptist Church.
Twenty-eight pastors have answered the call to serve Ridge. Reverend Meredith K. Roberson, served the church for 30 years, the longest tenure of any pastor. In June 2024, Reverend Alan Ray retired from leading Ridge after 22 years of service.
As the community around Ridge changes, the church attempts to understand and minister to the people in the community in order to maintain a strong Christian witness and respond to the day-to-day needs of the community.