In January of 1886 5 key leaders invited several Baptist churches of Denton County. The goal was to gather on May 29, 1886, at the Baptist Church in Denton, “to discuss the propriety of organizing a Denton County Baptist Association.” The thought was that the five older associations in the area covered too many counties and were breaking up into smaller units to deal with the densely populated area.
On May 29 of that year, 18 churches responded to the invitation. These representatives came from Prairie Chapel, Little Elm, Denton, Alton, Krum, Drop, Mustang, Roanoke, Shiloh, Stony, and Pilot Point. They presented a resolution to organize an association called “Denton County Baptist Association.”
The stated purpose for their existence was to “more widely and efficiently extend the Redeemer’s Kingdom in our midst.” With these words and others, they created their first constitution and bylaws. In these documents, they stated that the object of the association was “the promotion of harmony and fellowship among the churches.” They concluded their meeting and said they would get together in October before the first Sunday of that month.
The association did gather on the designated date in October of 1886. It was the first of the month, and messengers came from 20 churches. These leaders elected officers, created committees, made resolutions, and collected $540 for the mission’s work in the area. At their second annual meeting, they gathered for 4 days. They stayed in homes in the area, worshipped, ate, and fellowshipped with one another.
Since those humble beginnings 140 years ago, our association has continued to extend the Redeemer’s Kingdom in our midst. We have stated it this way: “We are a diverse network of churches connecting all peoples to the Gospel.” We are diverse, with 104 member churches that worship in Chinese, Chin, Mia, Korean, Spanish, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and English. These churches are helping us to reach all the different people groups that are moving into our area.
In commemoration of our 140th anniversary, we have scheduled a gathering on Thursday, October 29th, at Camp Copass in their new Bible study facility. It will be an evening of worship, a celebration of the diversity of our association with different language groups sharing in their heart language, food, and thoughts of the future. Our theme for this gathering will be “Connecting All People to the Gospel.” Please make plans now to attend this monumental event from 6:30-8:00 pm.
