Do you remember the famous line by Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz when she tapped her heels together and said, “There’s no place like home.” That statement has been made many times by many people over the years and is still true today. There is just something about home that gives you sense of security, peace, comfort and belonging.

While a physical home is important, a spiritual home is important as well. Everyone needs a church family where they can be nurtured, challenged, encouraged and involved. Here at HBC, we believe that you will find all those things and more. We are a warm caring fellowship of believers who are on a spiritual journey to become more like Jesus and to make Him known in our community and around the world. Our church could be just what you and your family have been looking for. Come be our guest and discover what other people have already discovered: Hertford Baptist Church is a great place to call home.

Rev. Gregory Clark

Who We Are - Our History

From 1854-1979

"It was on Thursday, April 6th 1854, when a group of 17 people as a result of a petition from the Mother Church, Bethel, met in the Baptist House of Worship to make arrangements for the constitution of a Baptist Church.

The church building had been erected in Hertford prior to that date at a cost of seventeen thousand dollars by Richard Felton and Charles W. Skinner, Sr.

The church was formally dedicated on Friday, April 7th when the Articles of Faith, the Church Covenant, and the Declaration of Faith were accepted. A month later it was admitted to the Chowan Association. The building has been renovated several times, with current renovations currently in progress as of January 18, 1999.

The Sunday School began in 1854 and the women’s work in 1873 with the Ladies Aid Society which later merged with Woman’s Missionary Society when it was formed in 1902.

Thirty-five pastors have served the church over the one hundred and forty-five years. In 1944 the church budget, ninety years after its founding, was $7,073. In 1979 it is $73, 933.50. The membership has increased from 17 to 518 as of 1979.

In the early part of the Twentieth Century, most of the members enrolled in Mission Study through the Sunbeams, Girl’s Auxiliary, Young Women’s Association, Royal Ambassadors and the Brotherhood. Mission contributions have tripled many times over. As part of the Missionary program, the Burgess Baptist church was sponsored in 1945.

The music program has always been an integral part of the services. At present there are five choirs.

In 1854 the building was valued at $17,000. As of 1979 that value was $300,000. In the 1970s, the parsonage was completely renovated, a library was established, the organ was rebuilt, and a parking lot puchased.

The first twenty five years of the second century have been marked by growth and vision. We repeat from our covenant “We agree to strive together for the support of a faithful, evangelical ministry among us, to work together in brotherly love and fellowship, and to go forward to a glorious future under God’s leadership.”

What We Beleive

We are not ashamed to call ourselves Southern Baptists. As Baptists, there are certain doctrines that we hold as precious and see them as essential to our faith and practice. You can read them in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. The BF&M 2000 can be accessed at the link provided below. We welcome any questions you may have about this statement of faith. Below we have included a brief excerpt of The Baptist Faith and Message. IF you would like to view the full text in PPRF format, you can click on the link provided.THE BFM

The Baptist Faith and Message

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.

Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.