When mission-minded men from Alabama set out to spread the gospel to the “heathens” of Northwest Florida in the early 19th century, Pensacola was their primary destination.
Pensacola was a long-established center of population but was known for, among other things, its “dire need for preaching.” Because seaports always have a variety of cultural lifestyles imported from around the globe and because exotic spirits of both the drinking and emotional variety were abundant invading influences, the area became a mission field for Alabama Baptists.
Pensacola was a long-established center of population but was known for, among other things, its “dire need for preaching.” Because seaports always have a variety of cultural lifestyles imported from around the globe and because exotic spirits of both the drinking and emotional variety were abundant invading influences, the area became a mission field for Alabama Baptists.
Two years before Pensacola's original Baptist church was organized, two significant events happened that would influence Baptists. Florida became a state, and the Southern Baptist Convention was formed. Only since 1821, when Florida became an official United States territory, had religious freedom actually been a privilege of Florida's people. Baptists slowly gained a foothold in the state. By the time Pensacola Baptists organized, a smattering of Baptist churches already existed in Florida.
In May of 1847, near the Bay and near what is now Seville Square, a small group of local citizens with Alabama preachers Alexander Travis and Joseph Mitchell founded First Baptist. Its official name was the Pensacola Baptist Church of Christ, later changing the name to The First Baptist Church of Pensacola.
In the beginning, records say again and again that the "Lord's Day service was a disappointment." Establishing a strong evangelical body in a city with Pensacola's background was not an easy task. Although from earliest days the cause of Christ had been among the stated reasons for settlement of the area, the spiritual climate into which the Baptist Church of Christ emerged was challenging.
In 1850 on the third anniversary of the church, a tradition began which still increases in fervor with the years. Mission participation was initiated. For the first time, the Pensacola Baptist Church would be on the "doing" end of missions, by establishing "an arm of this church at the Navy Yard."
The church as an organization of prestige basically reflected Pensacola's patterns of development. By the early 1880's, the population recognized and accepted the existing economic, social, and ethnic divisions of the city. Because the lines were not absolute, a general feeling of good will prevailed among the citizens. Some things one did not do, however, if one wanted successfully to infiltrate early Pensacola society. Included in those things was to join the Baptist Church. Among Protestants, the Baptists were still struggling for the acceptance and recognition needed to enhance their witness for Christ to all groups.
Pensacola was growing rapidly. Its natural beauty and bounty continued to beckon newcomers. The excitement of progress and anticipated good fortune pervaded the city. Lumber, shipping, fishing, and other major industries necessitated more doctors, lawyers, and merchants, as well as laborers. Pensacola became an exciting place in which to live and work. Some of the newcomers founded their way to The First Baptist Church, which still met in the small wooden building on Government Street near Seville Square. The congregation then included a few members who had been involved in the church since its founding and many others who had experienced the struggle of the years just after the Civil War. In addition to those "pillars," there were ambitious newcomers. Many of these factors influenced the decision to move to Palafox Hill in 1895.
With the new location, new building and new organ, a new respectability resulted in steady growth. In the late 1920's, serious redirection in financial matters helped the budget situation to withstand economic hardships that were enveloping the nation. Emphasis on social issues and Baptist principles strengthened the congregation. During the '30s, a stronger sense of fellowship began developing. A willingness from the pulpit, from young leaders and from others to be more creative and innovative added an element of excitement. The sense of well-being at having survived the Great Depression and making progress in reaching new people was overshadowed by December 7, 1941. Because the Pearl Harbor raid happened on a Sunday morning and because Pensacola is a Navy installation, Sundays took on a degree of fear and apprehension. Ministering to military personnel gave a sense of serving to those who did not actually go to war. The makeup of First Baptist Pensacola was changed forever because of military influx and influence.
As life became more sophisticated the life of the church became more challenging. During the '50s and '60s additional committees were formed to cover extended ministries like visual aids, promotion, recreation and television. Lay people were given more responsibility and responded enthusiastically. The bus ministry, begun in 1971, is an example of the expanded role of the laity. With more commitment on the part of the church came a need for an expanded ministerial staff.
The church now reaches out to diversified elements of modern American society. People of other countries and languages have settled in Pensacola, inspiring an Internationals ministry. Aid for the homeless and to those with general economic difficulties is a regular outreach of First Baptist. Both domestic and foreign short-term mission trips are activities that augment the Southern programs of other mission partner organizations.
First Baptist Pensacola is an old, downtown church. Sometimes non-members refer to it as "that big church on the hill." While that is not the description it chooses for itself, it is, however, accurate. There have been major changes in our culture and the denomination. Through the many years since its founding, the church has, as have the city and the nation, endured and survived storms, wars, epidemics, economic hardships and other hindrances. The stability that comes from strong belief in God's written Word, power and love, undergirds it.
James Nixon Jr. and Christine Daniel joined First Baptist in the early 1950s when they first moved to Pensacola. Both were very active in the church, as he served on the Board of Deacons and both taught Sunday School. Nixon also served as Vice President of the Florida Baptist State Convention, member of the Board of Trustees of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Vice President of the Board of Directors of Baptist Hospital. Christine was active in the Women’s Missionary Union. All four of their children became christians while the family attended the church, and three of them returned after college to raise their children in the warmth of FBC's Church family.
