‘Watching God work’: FBC Bastrop celebrates 175 years of faithful ministry

BASTROP—Kevin Adare serves First Baptist Church in many ways.

He’s chairman of the deacons, he teaches Sunday school, and he sings with the praise team and choir. When the church went to work calling its next senior pastor, he chaired the search committee. He even mows the lawn—a task he said he thoroughly enjoys.

When Adare, 61, reflects on how God has used his life, he’s humbled and grateful.

And surprised.

“I never would’ve seen myself at the point that I’m at,” Adare said. “It’s just been amazing to see how God has worked.”

Adare is among the countless number of people who have been impacted by the ministry of FBC Bastrop, which celebrated its 175^th anniversary this summer. The church was founded by G.G. Baggerly on Aug. 3, 1850. Texas was five years into statehood at the time, and America consisted of only 30 states (California would become the 31^st about a month later).

Roots run deep

Many of FBC Bastrop’s first pastors were “pioneer circuit-riding pastors who helped establish the churches and institutions that still guide Baptist work in Texas today,” according to Joshua Hebert, who was called to pastor the church in February.

In a report published in the Southern Baptist Missionary Journal in June 1848, Robert Taliaferro—a native of Kentucky who traveled to Texas as a missionary—noted the need for churches to be planted in Austin and Bastrop.

“Previous to last year, there had never been more than three or four sermons preached in Austin by ministers of our denomination,” the report noted. “In fact several grown persons had never heard a Baptist preacher; and many had never witnessed the ordinance of baptism.”

Among FBC Bastrop’s first pastors were P.B. Chandler, who Hebert said was a key denominational leader in the state convention in the mid-19^th century; J.A. Kimball, who helped form the San Marcos Baptist Association which continues to minister to Baptists in the region today; W.W. Harris, who went on to serve as the founding pastor of First Baptist Dallas; and Paul Bell, who started a school and orphanage for Hispanic children in Bastrop and in the 1920s launched a seminary to train Hispanic pastors.

In 1998, FBC Bastrop was among the 120 charter churches that formed the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention—which has grown to more than 2,800 affiliated churches in 2025.

FBC Bastrop has also grown, from 11 charter members in 1850 to more than 200.

Today, the need for a consistent, sturdy gospel witness is as great as ever. Bastrop, located about 30 miles southeast of Austin, has doubled in size over the past 25 years. Known as the “Most Historic Small Town in Texas,” it’s a city balancing its evolving identity as both quaint and quickly expanding. Bisected by the Colorado River—the site of many of the church’s baptisms—Bastrop is becoming known as much for being a destination as one for recreation.

Hebert proudly notes FBC Bastrop is multi-generational, ranging from members who have been there since World War II to young families that have recently joined the church.

“In good times and through the tougher times, God has sustained us, and we are just super thankful for that,” he said. “There are not a ton of churches our age—and that’s not anything special about us. That’s just God’s grace and His kindness.”

God’s grace and kindness were two prominent themes at the church’s anniversary celebration in August. People with deep ties to the church were among those in attendance, as well as a representative from the SBTC. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent an official recognition to the church lauding its impact on the community:

“Since 1850, First Baptist Church in Bastrop has witnessed watershed historical moments and seismic shifts in our society. Though much has changed in the previous 175 years, your commitment to the timeless tenets of the faith has not.”