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About Our Church

We are an Independent Baptist Church. The word “Independent” means that are not a member of any council, convention or a part of a national organization that would exercise authority over the local Church. Thus, the name “independent” means that the Church patterns itself after the New Testament example and stands alone under the authority of the Bible. We direct our own affairs under the authority of the New Testament Scriptures, free from the outside interference. The New Testament teaches that Christ is the head of the church,(Eph. 5:23) and the Chief Shepherd )1 Peter 5:4). The local pastor is the shepherd (Heb. 13:17, Acts 20:28, Eph. 4:11) or leader of the congregation. The Independent Baptist Church has a congregational form of government with each member having the right of the vote and all the affairs of the Church are conducted by the local congregation following the guidelines of the New Testament.

We are a fundamental baptist church. The word “Fundamental” means that we use the New Testament strictly as our authority for faith (doctrine) and practice. In recent years the news media has called many doctrinally unsound churches “fundamentalists.” Even some TV evangelists have referred to themselves as being “fundamentalist.” But they should not be confused with Fundamental Baptists. They are in fact worlds apart. Many of the TV evangelists and Charismatic churches promote teachings which are not Biblical. Fundamental Baptists use the name in its strictest sense as meaning holding to the fundamentals of the New Testament teachings without error. True Fundamental Baptist Churches uphold the purest teachings of the early church as revealed in the New Testament.

On June 10, 1911, a group of individuals met in the Fayette County, West Virginia community of Packs Branch for the purpose of organizing a Missionary Baptist Church. Persons who were present to help with the organization were Rev. J.T. Painter, F.E. Pegram, L.W. Webb, J.L. Rogers, W.A. Kincaid, Mr. & Mrs. D.V. Argabright, Albert Williams, and L.P. McClung.

A dedication service was held on June 30, 1912, with Rev. T.H. Fitzgerald preaching the dedication sermon.

Rev. L.P. McClung was the first Pastor of the Packs Branch Missionary Baptist Church. God blessed and during the first year, there were 37 active members.

On Nov. 12, 1954, the church building was completely destroyed by fire. However, this did not dampen the spirit of the members of the Church. It seemed to draw them closer together. Plans were made to rebuild where they could worship Christ in Christian love and fellowship.

The Church has grown in spirit and in numbers through the years. During its 93 years of existence, the Church has been pastored by 14 ordained Ministers.

In January 1998 our building was severely damaged by a snowstorm and services were held in the Pax City Hall. On July 12, 1998, we resumed our services in a new and larger Church.

Our current Pastor is Eric Davis, who began his pastorate of the church in 2021. Under the leadership of Pastor Davis, our Church is richly blessed.