In 1887, the church that would—one day—be called Immanuel Baptist Church began as a Sunday School mission in Louisville’s Germantown neighborhood. The congregation, planted among German immigrants by students from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, met in the old Shelby Street Brewery. In God’s kindness, they had 100 people attend their first Sunday and saw 39 people saved that first year. This rapid growth was not surprising, considering the work was led by men of doctrinal conviction and evangelistic zeal. One of those men, W.Y. Quisenberry, exemplified these traits when he wrote, “There is nothing that can give more joy than to know that one has been the instrument of saving a soul. Those who have not tried it do not know the joy they are robbing themselves of. It is the purest, richest, that has ever filled my heart.”
In 1890, the Germantown Mission became the Logan Street Baptist Church. The congregation consisted of 36 charter members from various denominational and socio-economic backgrounds. Their pastor, Lewis Nathan Thompson, had the kind of humility God loves to bless. Amid his labors to see men and women come to Christ, he wrote, “I am not discouraged, but I am disgusted with myself for my weakness and ignorance.” The God who loves to use the weak continued to bless the work.
By 1905, the church moved to the corner of Oak & Clay Street and became the Immanuel Baptist Church. The members of Immanuel raised funds to build one of the most up-to-date church buildings in the city. Their goal was not an impressive structure but a place to serve their people. One Baptist paper at the time called the new building a "workshop (sic), for that is what this active pastor and people will make it.”
However, after such a glorious start, Immanuel sadly began to face an erosion of her core beliefs. She started to appoint ministers with lower views of Scripture. While the church continued to grow numerically and expand their building, a spiritual rot had set in that would erode the work. From the 1950s to 2002, Immanuel followed the theological trends that had taken root in much of the Protestant world and also her own denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention. Diminished views of Scripture and God’s sovereignty in salvation cannot help but erode the effectiveness of God’s work.
In addition to this, Immanuel—a historically white church—now found herself in a predominantly black community. To the best of our knowledge, Immanuel never prophetically denounced the racism that was so prevalent at the time of her founding. Furthermore, as the neighborhood changed, she did not fight against the segregation that was so dominant in American society. In 2002, Immanuel had shrunk down to about 17 people. Although some remaining genuinely loved God, the biblical vision of those who stayed was weak.
It was then that Immanuel hired Pastor Ryan Fullerton. Since, Immanuel has reclaimed the theological roots from which she was founded. A heart to proclaim the good news of Jesus to the lost has permeated the church, alongside a desire to order the life of the church according to the New Testament. Having rejected the racism that stains her history, Immanuel now works to build a community from all cultures where Christ is King, and God has blessed this reclaiming of biblical commitments. Between 2002 and 2017, Immanuel grew from 17 to over 600 people in attendance. In 2017, Immanuel secured a new building at 850 South 4th Street.
It is our hope for this building to always be a workshop led by humble, faithful, and weak men who serve an amazing God. We pray that Immanuel would always be a humble, faithful, and weak people who love Jesus, share the gospel with the lost, and plant churches both here in Kentucky and to the utter ends of the earth. A look around our website will give you a glimpse of how God is working in our midst today.
*Historical data adapted from A Great People’s Church: A History of Immanuel Baptist Church by David N. Theobald.
In 1887, the church that would—one day—be called Immanuel Baptist Church began as a Sunday School mission in Louisville’s Germantown neighborhood. The congregation, planted among German immigrants by students from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, met in the old Shelby Street Brewery. In God’s kindness, they had 100 people attend their first Sunday and saw 39 people saved that first year. This rapid growth was not surprising, considering the work was led by men of doctrinal conviction and evangelistic zeal. One of those men, W.Y. Quisenberry, exemplified these traits when he wrote, “There is nothing that can give more joy than to know that one has been the instrument of saving a soul. Those who have not tried it do not know the joy they are robbing themselves of. It is the purest, richest, that has ever filled my heart.”
In 1890, the Germantown Mission became the Logan Street Baptist Church. The congregation consisted of 36 charter members from various denominational and socio-economic backgrounds. Their pastor, Lewis Nathan Thompson, had the kind of humility God loves to bless. Amid his labors to see men and women come to Christ, he wrote, “I am not discouraged, but I am disgusted with myself for my weakness and ignorance.” The God who loves to use the weak continued to bless the work.
By 1905, the church moved to the corner of Oak & Clay Street and became the Immanuel Baptist Church. The members of Immanuel raised funds to build one of the most up-to-date church buildings in the city. Their goal was not an impressive structure but a place to serve their people. One Baptist paper at the time called the new building a "workshop (sic), for that is what this active pastor and people will make it.”
However, after such a glorious start, Immanuel sadly began to face an erosion of her core beliefs. She started to appoint ministers with lower views of Scripture. While the church continued to grow numerically and expand their building, a spiritual rot had set in that would erode the work. From the 1950s to 2002, Immanuel followed the theological trends that had taken root in much of the Protestant world and also her own denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention. Diminished views of Scripture and God’s sovereignty in salvation cannot help but erode the effectiveness of God’s work.
In addition to this, Immanuel—a historically white church—now found herself in a predominantly black community. To the best of our knowledge, Immanuel never prophetically denounced the racism that was so prevalent at the time of her founding. Furthermore, as the neighborhood changed, she did not fight against the segregation that was so dominant in American society. In 2002, Immanuel had shrunk down to about 17 people. Although some remaining genuinely loved God, the biblical vision of those who stayed was weak.
It was then that Immanuel hired Pastor Ryan Fullerton. Since, Immanuel has reclaimed the theological roots from which she was founded. A heart to proclaim the good news of Jesus to the lost has permeated the church, alongside a desire to order the life of the church according to the New Testament. Having rejected the racism that stains her history, Immanuel now works to build a community from all cultures where Christ is King, and God has blessed this reclaiming of biblical commitments. Between 2002 and 2017, Immanuel grew from 17 to over 600 people in attendance. In 2017, Immanuel secured a new building at 850 South 4th Street.
It is our hope for this building to always be a workshop led by humble, faithful, and weak men who serve an amazing God. We pray that Immanuel would always be a humble, faithful, and weak people who love Jesus, share the gospel with the lost, and plant churches both here in Kentucky and to the utter ends of the earth. A look around our website will give you a glimpse of how God is working in our midst today.
*Historical data adapted from A Great People’s Church: A History of Immanuel Baptist Church by David N. Theobald.
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