History :

In 1883, Rev. M. V. Baird began to preach about once a month in Kennett. Using a two-story board house south of the public square which was used for all public meetings On October 2, 1887, seven members holding letters from other Baptist Churches organized the First Baptist Church of Kennett. Rev. M.V. Baird and Rev. J.M. Blaylock led in the organization and Rev. Baird became the first pastor.

August 1888 the Baptist and Masons jointly erected a two-story building on the southwest corner of Jackson and St. Francis. In 1904 the church bought the interest of the Masonic Lodge and in May of 1906 began the work of razing the old building and erecting a new church building. This beautiful brick building was completed in November 1906.

Rev. M.R. Cooper became the first full-time pastor, February 1907. Membership reached 260 by 1908. In 1911 the church added some Sunday School rooms. C.C. Redman became Sunday School superintendent in 1910 and for the first time attendance reached 100. By 1914 the church reported a membership of 384 and average Sunday School attendance of 188.

Dr. G. Elton Harris came as pastor in August 1916 and on November 16 of that year the church was destroyed by fire. Services were held in the Palace Theater and the Dunklin County Court House until March 1917 when the old Methodist Church building was rented. He left for us the earliest published history of church dated October 1917.

Rev. S.I. Myers came July 1918 and led in the construction of the present auditorium. It was a great decision for the church to move to another site just one block west. The church finished in the spring of 1920 and was valued at $50,000 when completed.

Rev. J.E. Brown came April 1922. Under his leadership the church had a great growth and had a good organization was built in all departments. The church had a membership of 557 by 1928. When the Browns resigned in February 1931, they had completed the longest pastorate in the history of the church - 9years.

Dr. N.H. Tracy and Dr. G.W. Duncan lead the church during the hard years of the depression. The first ministers to come out of the church were licensed during Rev. Tracy's pastorate - Owen Sherrill and Irl Richardson.

Beginning in October, 1938, Dr. R.J. West led the church in a strong evangelistic and mission founding program. Everett Street Baptist and Hemphill Baptist Churches came from the efforts of this time.

Rev. V.A. Rose led during the war years beginning in February 1943. A lot on Harvey St. to the north of the church was purchased for parking, remodeling was done and a building started.

Rev. Owen Sherrill served two periods as pastor, 1946 - 1949 and 1954 - 1960 for a total of nine and one half years. He led the church in a most aggressive period of founding missions churches. Organized as churches were: Everett Street, Hemphill and Third Street. Missions started were Southside, Ely, Bettendorf Iowa and Deepwater Curve, of which the first three are now churches. He let led in buying additional property to west and north of the church and building an annex to connect the Educational Building with the Sanctuary (which was remodeled with the Pastorium.) Brother Sherrill was a product of this church and led in ordaining Rev. Dale Smith who grew up in this church also. During this time the church undertook a multiple ministry with Charles Gwaltney, Miss Laura Thompson and Rhea McKinney serving.

Dr. W. E. Martin came to serve as pastor of the church in June 1961. During his ministry of six and one-half years, the church adopted the constitution and by-laws and incorporated. Plans were made for a building program to increase the educational space.

In March 1969, Rev. Bobbie L. Buster came to serve as pastor of the church. Under his leadership the new education building and fellowship hall was constructed.

In April of 1975, Rev. Wendell Bradford came to serve as pastor. Under his leadership a new parsonage was built in the Westgate Addition.
In June 1979, Rev. Don McGuire came to serve as pastor. The church voted to participate in Missouri Bold Mission Taiwan and sent Pastor Don McGuire and layman John Tant to Taiwan for Three weeks of temporary mission work.

In January 1995, Rev. Ed Jansson came to serve as pastor. In July 1998, Rev. Ed Jansson, Judy Jansson and Janis Shrum (our Director of Missions wife) went to to Pruzhani, Belarus to conduct Vacation Bible School. As a result of this trip, our church voted to establish a partnership with the Pruzhani Church in Belarus.

Men who have been ordained by the church include Irl Richardson, Owen Sherrill, Russell Bragg, Dale Smith, Alton Butler, Keith Duncan, Rhea McKinney, Don Lewis, David Ross, Ron Wilcoxson, Jeff Ross and Stephen Scherer. Lanny Lloyd is a vocational worker in religious education. Rev. Marion "Bud" Fray is commissioned by the Southern Baptist Mission Board.

Our history will continue until the Lord comes again. May God bless this church as we live to glorify the name of Jesus.