Colleton Baptist Association of Churches

Baptist Associations are based on scriptural models found in Acts 11, Acts 15, I Corinthians 9, and 2 Corinthians 16.  The cooperation of Christians and local churches to enhance ministry, maintain doctrinal integrity, and provide mutual encouragement is as old as the Church itself.  The first Baptist Association was formed in London in 1650.  In 1707, Baptists in Philadelphia formed the first Baptist Association in the colonies.  The first Baptist Association in South Carolina was formed in Charleston in 1751.  So the Baptist Association is older than the Southern Baptist Convention. 

Our Beginnings

Colleton Baptist Association (CBA) was organized in 1863 with 7 churches as charter members.  Those were Round O Church, Spring Hill, Pleasant Prospect, Union, Bedon, Zion, and Doctors Creek.   Black Creek and Peniel joined in 1879.  Walterboro First Baptist joined in 1895.  By 1913, we had 27 member churches and 3,029 individual members.  Ruffin joined the CBA in 1924, followed by Hopewell in 1928.   By our 75th year, we had 31 member churches, but that number soon dropped to 29.  In 1959, Walterboro First started the Edgewood Mission.  In 1960, Rev. Hilton Hoover became our first full-time Associational Missionary.  In 1961, the Green Pond Mission of Walterboro First became Green Pond Baptist Church.  In 1964, Edisto Beach Mission of Adams Run Church became the Edisto Beach Baptist Church.   In 1977, Welch Creek Church withdrew from CBA.  In 1985, the North Walterboro Mission was started under the watchcare of Doctors Creek Church.  That was also the year CBA became a legal corporation.   In 1986, Edgewood Church donated a one-acre lot on Wildwood Drive as an office site for CBA.  Ground was broken in spring of 1987 with much of the construction being done by volunteers.  The building was dedicated in January of 1989.   In 1991, North Walterboro Mission became a constituted church.  

Who We Are

In 2009, Colleton Baptist Association consists of 30 member churches and around 4,800 individual members.  On any given Sunday, around 2,200 people attend worship in our churches.  Over the last 5 years, an average of 1,375 people have been involved in our churches in weekly Bible study.  An average of 2,350 children, youth, and adults have been involved in our annual Vacation Bible Schools.  In 2008, our 30 churches contributed over $550,000 in missions support, used to share the gospel from Colleton County to the uttermost parts of the earth. 

Our churches financially support the presence of 2 state licensed professional counselors who also happen to be Christians.  Michelle Jones and Jay White provide excellent professional counseling services while incorporating each client's faith into the therapy. Because of the financial support of our churches, these services are provided for a very affordable price. 

Our churches support the work of the ABC Regional Hispanic Ministry under the direction of Rev. Tony Hancock.  This work not only reaches out to transient hispanics in Colleton County, it offers the ministry of Iglesia Baustista Nueva Esperanza (New Hope Baptist Church) for permanent hispanic residents.

Our churches support the work of Colleton Christian Women's Job Corps, which provides mentoring service, Bible studies, and Lif-Mastery classes for women who want to transition from welfare to work.

Our churches provide support services at Heritage Healthcare Center, Safe Haven Shelter, and  Edisto Beach State Park.  We have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, provided Bibles for those in prison, ministry to the sick and encouragement to the downtrodden.  And we do it all to earn the right to share the good news that Jesus Loves Us All.  It was He Who gave His life as a ransom for many.  And "to as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God."  (John 1:12)  That is why we exist!