On October 12, 1845 twenty-three white persons and seven black slaves chartered “The Baptist Church of Jesus Christ at Jeffersontown.” Today this same church is known as Jeffersontown Baptist Church.
The first meeting place for the 30 original members was a building owned by the local Lutheran church. The Methodist and Presbyterian congregations of Jeffersontown also shared this building.
After the Civil War and emancipation, the freed slaves, of all four churches, chartered their own church, which today is the First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown.
In 1866, after meeting at the Lutheran building for 20 years, the Church bought the lower level of the Masonic Lodge and began meeting there. For the next 60 years, until 1926, the Church continued to share the Masonic Lodge with area Masons.
In 1924 the church had purchased the property we occupy today. Church records document 145 members at that time. Construction on the first building was begun in August of 1926. The first service was held in the basement in December of that year. The first meeting of record held in the sanctuary was on April 8, 1928.
In March of 1937, there was an unfortunate fire and the building was burnt to its foundation. The church family remained together and by December of 1937 was again meeting at this location in a reconstructed basement built on the original foundation, with a roof over it. In 1949 the church finished the constructing of a new building with the street facade seen today.
Jeffersontown Baptist Church has grown over the years and continues to serve the community with a rich history covering 165 years.