Oldest Baptist church in Texas still standing tall, looking to future

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September 24, 2006
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NACOGDOCHES?The old oak tree is now a stump, but the church it provided cover for as early as 1832 is still standing tall and looking forward.

Old North Baptist Church of Nacogdoches, which affiliated with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention last month, turned 168 years old in May. That an active congregation still exists serves as a testament to perseverance in the face of troubled times.

Beginning with secret prayer meetings in what was Mexican territory, Old North Church has seen slavery and the Civil War, the end of slavery and Reconstruction, the Great Depression and oil strikes, segregation and the civil rights movement.

Church members say they are praying the church’s historic labor in the gospel continues far into the future. “We don’t want it to become a landmark,” said church secretary and treasurer Callene Murdock, a 20-year church member. She said the congregation of fewer than 20 people is well aware that they need to draw new members to keep the songs and sermons flowing from the pulpit each Sunday.

Murdock said she realizes younger people and their families tend to be drawn to larger churches with their many programs and contemporary music.

“We don’t exactly do that,” she said of the congregation that meets in the 154-year-old white, wood-frame building. They still sing the hymns as old as the building and listen to preaching which, Murdock said, is some of the best she has heard in her life.

“He is the most wonderful preacher I’ve heard,” she said of Pastor C.T. “Bro. Pete” McGuire. “He is a fabulous preacher.” She said the 77-year-old pastor’s knowledge of Scripture and the way he imparts it to the congregation is inspiring. “We’re hoping through him the church will grow.”

McGuire was traveling and could not be interviewed but his wife, Betty, enthusiastically sang the praises of the church to which they have belonged for two years. “It looks like an old church in the wild wood,” she said, recalling the old hymn. And the people, she said, “are precious.”

Regarding their new affiliation with the SBTC, McGuire said she and her husband have wanted to join with the convention since its inception but have not had the opportunity until taking on the pastorate of Old North Baptist Church.

“We were active with the [Conservative] Resurgence,” she said in reference to the theological struggles that took place in the Southern Baptist Convention in the late 20th century. After meeting this year with area pastors and an SBTC ministry associate, the congregation voted to affiliate. McGuire said, “The people are happy to be in.”

The Old North story is one of pioneering faith and endurance. While Texas was still under Mexican rule, those wanting to settle in the territory had to proclaim allegiance to Mexico and the Catholic Church.

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