FBC Story

Thomas Jefferson was president and Washington, D.C. was a village of only a few thousand people when in July 1801 Baptists first met at the U.S. Treasury Building.

In March of 1802, six laypeople and four ministers established this church in a private home. From that time, First Baptist Church has worshiped and served in the heart of the nation's capital.

The congregation has worshiped God in five buildings on four sites in the District of Columbia, including what is now Ford's Theater (where President Lincoln was assassinated). The congregation moved to its current location (16th & O Streets, NW) in 1890. The first worship service in the present sanctuary took place on Christmas Day 1955.

In the early 1800s Luther Rice, a member here, used First Baptist as home base during his national travels organizing mission support among Baptists. With the support of our first pastor, Obadiah Brown, Rice led Baptists in founding Columbian College, now George Washington University.

Since 1845, First Baptist has served as a link between major national Baptist bodies. FBC partners with the Alliance of Baptists, American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A., Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the Baptist World Alliance and the District of Columbia Baptist Convention.