Our History

“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

Beginnings 1913-1932

First Baptist Church of Clute traces its beginnings to 1913, when a group of believers organized what was then known as Friendship Baptist Church under the direction of Brother Monroe, with S. A. Jones identified by the Angleton Times as pastor. The church began with 32 members—20 by baptism, 11 by letter, and one by statement of faith; known charter members included Homer and Minnie Copeland, A. H. and L. E. Knowles, J. M. and Pinola Cobb, and Willie Cobb. The congregation met in a local schoolhouse on Main Street, where tradition says the piano was sometimes moved onto the porch during hot weather. By 1914, membership had grown to about 40, and a Baptist Young People’s Union had been organized. Very little documentation survives from 1914 through 1930, leaving a significant gap in the church’s early history. In 1931, the congregation was reorganized, Brother Wilkerson was elected pastor at $30 per month, and a building committee was appointed to begin planning for a permanent church building. In 1932, the church continued raising funds through pie and box suppers, Brother and Sister Wilkerson were granted their church letters, and the schoolhouse where the congregation had worshiped was destroyed by a severe storm.

Early growth 1932-1945

After the 1932 storm destroyed the schoolhouse where the congregation had been meeting, the church spent the next two years raising funds and preparing for a permanent home on Main Street. The new wood-frame church was completed on November 10, 1934, and the first service was held the next day with good attendance, even though the congregation was without a pastor. During the next several years, the church was served by Brother Jolly, Brother Burnes, Brother Ervin, T. B. Ramsay, and Hyram Dry, while revivals, Sunday School, B.Y.P.U., and other ministries helped strengthen the congregation. Under Pastor Ramsay, the church added members, expanded Sunday School space, and became more financially stable. During Pastor Dry’s ministry, the church built a parsonage, began planning for a larger church building, and experienced a major revival in 1944 that added 26 members. In 1945, the church called O. T. Van Meter as pastor, beginning a new season of growth that would soon lead to a new name and a new building on Shanks Street.

Rapid growth 1945-1976

In 1945, the church called O. T. Van Meter as pastor, beginning a 19-year ministry that would oversee remarkable growth and the transition to a new church home. In 1946, Friendship Baptist Church became First Baptist Church of Clute, and Mr. and Mrs. Shanks provided land for a new building, with the congregation borrowing $2,000 to complete the project. The congregation moved into the new church at 220 S. Shanks Street in 1947, where it would worship for approximately 29 years. Under Van Meter, membership grew dramatically—from only 36 members in 1944 to nearly 700 by 1964—while the church expanded its property and facilities and even broadcast Sunday services by radio. After Van Meter retired in 1964, David Smith served until 1969, when he left to establish what became Woodland Hills Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas. Dwayne Phy followed, leading an expanding ministry that included Christian education, a bus ministry, and children’s outreach while developing a vision for a larger and more modern church campus. In 1976, that vision became reality when the congregation left the Shanks Street building and moved into its present facility, closing an important 29-year chapter in the history of First Baptist Church of Clute.

Current growth 1976-present

In 1976, First Baptist Church of Clute moved into its present facility, a larger and more modern campus financed through church-issued bonds, while ministries such as the Christian school, bus ministry, and AWANA continued to grow under Pastor Dwayne Phy. In 1991, the congregation celebrated the retirement of the building debt with a special note-burning service, paying off the facility in less than fifteen years. After Pastor Phy retired in 1996, Gary Milbourne served for about three years, followed by Mark Cox, during whose ministry the church added the Family Center with a gymnasium, kitchen, fellowship space, and classrooms. Lyndon Pettyjohn became pastor in 2007, and during his tenure Josh McGee joined the church in youth and worship ministry before later serving as interim pastor and then senior pastor. Under Pastor McGee, the campus saw numerous renovations and the church expanded discipleship, outreach, Bible training, family ministries, and mission involvement. In 2022–2023, Gerry Sutton joined the staff in youth ministry and was later ordained, eventually becoming interim pastor after McGee’s resignation. On June 16, 2024, the church called Gerry Sutton as pastor, continuing more than a century of ministry from the same Clute congregation now worshiping in its 1976 facility.

Beginnings 1913-1932

Early growth 1932-1945

Rapid growth 1945-1976

Current growth 1976-present

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