First Baptist Church Covington was founded on Valentine’s Day of 1904 by Bogue Falaya Baptist Church near Folsom, LA. The first pastor was E.H. Garner, and they met in a cottage house at the corner of Jefferson and West 23rd Ave. The congregation struggled to grow initially and to keep pastoral leadership with approximately 23 pastors in a 32-year period. For the first 42 years, the small congregation only had a house that served as a church building.
Construction began on a new property in 1946 and that building still stands in downtown Covington at Jefferson and 23rd Ave. It was built under the leadership of Baxter Pond, who served two separate terms as pastor up until 1964. In the almost 80 years since 1946, there have been only six pastors.
The second building on Jefferson Ave. was built in 1984 to accommodate the growing congregation. It was in this building that our current pastor, Dr. Waylon Bailey, was called and began serving the church in May of 1989. His kind, caring nature and rich knowledge of the Bible, coupled with his incredible business sense, has not only helped develop the congregation into a mature group of believers, but also has led to incredible growth in the size of the congregation. When Dr. Bailey began his time as pastor, there were about 300 members of the congregation. The church began growing quickly, going from one service to two in 1991 and adding a third service in 1995. An astounding fourth Sunday morning worship service was added in 1998 and continued until March 2001.
The church bought the current 43 acres of land on LA Hwy 1085 in 1997 and began the process of planning for relocation. Phase One of the current campus was completed, and the move from Jefferson Ave. was made in March 2001.
In 2018, the church completed Phase Two and moved into its 2300-seat auditorium and brand-new preschool and children’s facility, as well as offices for an expanding church staff. The church has become a regional church with an emphasis on investing in the next generation of believers.
Though the congregation has seen much change and experienced amazing amounts of growth, the attitude of the congregation continues to be embracing change with a willing heart and looking forward to impacting more lives for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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