Thomas Road Baptist Church
Thomas Road Baptist Church | |
---|---|
Baptist | |
Associations | |
Website | trbc |
History | |
Founded | 1956 |
Associated people | Jerry Falwell |
Clergy | |
Senior pastor(s) | Jonathan Falwell |
Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) is a
History
Began in 1956 by a group of thirty-five members, including Jerry Falwell, Thomas Road now claims more than 24,200 members. The first meeting of Thomas Road was held on June 17 at Mountain View Elementary School. On June 24, 1956, The church held its first service in what was the former Donald Duck Bottling Company building. In 1964, Thomas Road moved into its second auditorium that seated 1,000 people. In 1969, the church broke ground for two educational buildings plus a new 3,000-seat sanctuary. In 1971, the church founded Lynchburg Baptist College, now known as Liberty University, as well as Liberty Christian Academy in 1967 (known as Lynchburg Christian Academy until it moved and was renamed in 2005). Until 2004, the church was the location for a nationally syndicated religious broadcast known as The Old-Time Gospel Hour. This program now airs only locally in Lynchburg. Selected sermons from the pulpit of the Thomas Road Baptist Church are now featured nationally on a syndicated program from Liberty University known as Live from Liberty.[2]
The church occupied a new multimillion-dollar facility on July 2, 2006. The new building is connected to an over 800,000 sq ft (74,000 m2) facility formerly owned and operated by
Founding pastor Falwell served as its senior pastor until his death on May 15, 2007. In a special business meeting called by the board of
Affiliation
Thomas Road Baptist Church was initially affiliated with the Baptist Bible Fellowship International. However, since 1998, it has a dual affiliation with the Baptist Bible Fellowship and the Southern Baptist Convention, having entered the convention by way of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia.
Controversies
Jerry Falwell started Lynchburg Baptist College by selling bonds to a small group of private investors. However, in 1972, the
In 1989, Jerry Falwell told Liberty University employees that membership in the church and tithing were mandatory. [8]
References
- ^ Pounds, Jessie. "Expanded ministry among changes as Thomas Road Baptist Church marks decade in new home". NewsAdvance.com. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
- ^ "Our History". Thomas Road Baptist Church. Archived from the original on 1 August 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
- ^ "Former GE/Ericsson employees tour former workplace". Liberty University News Service. October 2, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
- ^ "Answers for Darwin". Answers in Genesis. 2008. Archived from the original on October 18, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
- ^ Brown, Ron (3 June 2007). "Jonathan Falwell elected TRBC pastor". Lynchburg, Virginia: The News and Advance. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
- National Public Radio. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
- ^ "Jerry Falwell, Moral Majority Founder, Dies at 73", New York Times, May 16, 2007
- ^ Associated Press, Falwell Mandates Tithing and Church Membership for All of His Employees, latimes.com, USA, March 11, 1989