ABOUT US

HISTORY

Lebanon Baptist Church was officially organized on April 14, 1957, by a small group of Baptist believers who purchased two lots on High Street and were guided by the Rev. B. F. Napier, who led a special service dedicating the property to the Lord and ordaining the church’s first deacon, Bertis Blanks.

The building of the new church was completed through the help of many area pastors and ministers on Nov. 3, 1968, the dedication of which began the Rev. B.F. Napier and his wife’s faithful leadership of the congregation as pastor for the next 19 years.

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During the leadership of the second pastor of Lebanon Baptist Church, the Rev. Clyde T. Crooms, the Christian Education Department was solidified and the groundwork for the Lebanon Baptist Church bylaws was set. The church celebrated the burning of its mortgage in November 1978. 

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On Oct. 6, 1990, the Rev. Franklin L. Garner was called to serve as the third pastor of the church, during which time the Lebanon Baptist Church Inspirational Choir and the Lebanon Youth Dance Ministry were founded, after which the Rev. Earlie J. Gresham was called to serve as the fourth pastor of Lebanon Baptist Church in 1996.

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The Rev. Michael C. Burton was appointed as the fifth pastor of the church in 2000, who added to its proliferation in many ways, including the purchase of a church van, an upgrade to the sound system, the dedication of the Baptismal pool, the formation of the Lebanon Community Development Corporation, the launching of the Tyron D. Franklin Computer Literacy Center and a substantial growth in membership and operating budget.

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The Rev. JerQuentin Sutton, joined by his wife Diane and children Isabella and Spencer, began his service as the church’s most recent pastor on Nov. 20, 2011, organizing a Summer Character Building Arts Program launched by Lebanon’s Community Development Corporation, and ordaining the church’s first minister, Reverend Belinda A. Howard, on April 27, 2014, who serves as an associate to the pastor.

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Rev. Sutton continues to give back by serving as a Field Education Supervisor for New Brunswick Theological Seminary. Let's go deeper in our faith by serving and loving Jesus with all our heart.