History

A Brief History of the First Baptist Church of Muncie, Indiana

On September 10, 1859, twelve Indiana residents, four men and eight women, became the charter members of the Baptist Church in Muncie, Indiana, a community of 1700 residents. The small town boasted of three other churches at the time: Methodist, Presbyterian, and Universalist. The organizational meeting for the Baptist Church had been held in the county courthouse and for the next 2 ½ years the church continued to hold its services there using only one court room and having services once a month. Finally in June, 1862, the tiny congregation moved into their new church building. Measuring 48′ by 34′, the new structure cost $2,131.80.

Typical of that era, the people went to church in wagons drawn by oxen, on horseback, or by foot. They normally dressed in their home-made attire, which was flannel and jeans in winter and home-made linens in summer. Ladies wore sunbonnets which in the summer they doubled and used for fans during the service. Men went in their shirt-sleeves, and children often came bare-footed. Small churches like the one in Muncie had no electric lights, natural gas, or even kerosene lamps to furnish light. What they had was the dim light of the candle

Growth was slow and somewhat painful during the first two decades. The largest expense for the church was the salary of the minister. Whenever a new pastor was asked to come, members pledged to pay a certain sum of money over a specific period of time, usually twelve months. Pledges were not always paid, however. Economic hardships sometimes caused members to fall behind. Then too, if individuals became dissatisfied with the pastor they sometimes intentionally neglected to contribute their agreed on sum. If enough persons did this, the pastor would of economic necessity be forced to resign.

Bickering among members was not uncommon. ( After all, this is a Baptist Church). The name calling and animosity led to the resignation of one pastor in the late 70s. Eventually the situation became so bad that in 1880 there was a motion in a business meeting to disband the church. Fortunately, the motion did not pass.

The coming of pastor N.B. Rairden in 1881 marked a turning point for the fledgling congregation. He and his wife were both young and energetic, and they stayed at the church for nearly four years. No pastor prior to Rairden had stayed as long as 2 ½ years. . Their contribution was primarily that of uniting and harmonizing a church with a history of disharmony. Never again would the members discuss disbanding. It was also during the Rairden pastorate that the church officially adopted the name “First Baptist Church of Muncie, Indiana.” Previously the church was referred to as the Regular Baptist Church or simply as the Muncie Baptist Church.