First Baptist Church of Decatur

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First Baptist Church of Decatur, up in Wise County. Now settle in, because this one goes back a ways. We're talking 1856, before Decatur was even called Decatur.

Back then, the town went by Taylorsville, and a congregation was just findin its footing in the log cabin of a man named Samuel Perrin. The Rev. J.T.

Willis organized that church, right there in those rough-hewn walls, and something took root. Something that would last. Now a log cabin in a frontier town is a humble enough beginning for any institution; but don't let the setting fool you.

These folks weren't the kind to keep to themselves. From early on, members were active in the town. That wasn't an accident.

That was a disposition. By the late 1880s, the Rev. J.F.

Young was preachin both to the congregation and to Decatur's African American community, a detail the marker puts right out front, plain as daylight, and one worth sittin with for a moment. This was a church reachin beyond its own pews. During that same stretch of years, the church worked closely with Northwest Texas Baptist College, the institution that would eventually become Decatur Baptist College.

Membership kept growin, and so did the church's reach into the life of the surrounding area. Then came 1956, a full century after that first meetin in Samuel Perrin's log cabin, and the mayor of Decatur pronounced a day in honor of Dr. R.E.

Bell, a pastor of the church who had made himself a presence in the community. The mayor set aside a day. For a pastor.

That tells you somethin. From a log cabin in Taylorsville to a day declared in a pastor's name, the First Baptist Church of Decatur kept showin up, for its members, for its neighbors, and for the town that grew up right alongside it.

What the marker says

Organized in 1856 under the Rev. J.T. Willis, the church first met in the log cabin of Samuel Perrin in Taylorsville, now known as Decatur. From early on, members were active in the town. By the late 1880s, the Rev. J.F. Young preached both in this church and to Decatur’s African American community. Also during this time, the church worked closely with Northwest Texas Baptist College, forerunner of Decatur Baptist College. As membership grew, the congregation continued its area involvement. In 1956, the mayor pronounced a day in honor of Dr. R.E. Bell, a pastor of the church who was active in the community. The church continues to be an important spiritual and educational influence on Decatur. (2006)