On the Lord’s Day, Feb 21st 1812, on a few chairs, a rude bench or two, and some boards overlaying bits of log, a group 26 Particular Baptists in Piqua Ohio, gathered in the home of Charles Hilliard Jr.. These pioneers sat under God’s Word, sang hymns, and covenanted to form the Salem Baptist Church. Those present recall receiving the Lord’s Supper and baptizing in the Miami River.
In the years that followed, these precious pilgrims preached the gospel, observed the ordinances, and maintained church discipline. They cultivated love and fellowship and the Lord added to their number. They supported global missions in Burma through the missionary Adoniram Judson. Between the years of 1832 and 1838, Salem Baptist would send pastors to plant churches in Sidney, St Marys, and Covington.
A hundred years later, in the Spring of 1911, now much larger in number and necessarily meeting in a new place, 297 charter members voted unanimously to unite with another church and form the Piqua Baptist Church. In 2023 it happened again. Members of Piqua Baptist voted to unite with CornerstonePiqua, a young church planted in 2015 by Pastors Jamie Wellman and Brent Phillips.
Our Structure
Piqua Baptist Church is an Elder-led congregational church. We understand the Bible to teach that a plurality of elders are to lead the local church. The New Testament uses the words “elder”, “pastor”, “overseer”, “shepherd” interchangeably. An elder is a pastor; a pastor is an elder. A plurality of elders oversee the church and care for her spiritual needs. Deacons are appointed by the congregation to oversee her physical needs. Ministry Leaders, appointed by the elders, oversee the various ministries of the church.
Piqua Baptist is not part of a denomination. Being baptist means three things: (1) we believe those who ought to be baptized are believers who have made a credible profession of faith; (2) we believe in the autonomy of the local church, meaning no organization has the right to dictate what we believe and how we worship; and (3) the congregation, submitting to Jesus Christ in His word, is the final authority for the church.
While not a part of any denomination, the Lord has been pleased to connect us to a few church associations with whom we regularly fellowship. We are active members of the Miami Valley Chapter of the Gospel Coalition, a collection of like-minded, gospel-centered churches in the Miami Valley. We share close association with other organizations like 9Marks, Harbor Network, and the Sovereign Grace Network.