Our History

Oak Grove has been in existence since 1863, making our church 138 years old. In 1863, a small number of liberated, dedicated black people, freedmen, desired to have their own place of worship, a place where they could feel free to worship God in spirit and in truth. Being led by the Holy Spirit and encouraged by those sympathetic to their desire, they began building Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church on a site that was given to them on the Williams Plantation by Mrs. Mary C. and Mrs. Ella J. Williams.

The church was named Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church, having its humble beginnings in a bush arbor just south of what is now known as Stage Road (Highway 64). The present building is located on the original site. Our church now sits on approximately 22 acres of land and is pastored by Rev. Donald L. Johnson.

Oak Grove has had 17 pastors since its inception in 1863. The last three pastors were

  • Rev. P. L. Honeywood (1952-1965)
  • Rev. E. Houston Stephens (1965-1972)
  • Rev. Ammon Jordon (1972-1993).
Rev. Donald L. Johnson currently serves as Senior Pastor.

Oak Grove has grown through the years in renovations and land ventures which includes:

  • Remodeling the interior and exterior of the church (1937)
  • Tearing down the original building and replacing it with a new building (1954)
  • Purchasing school property and land (1955)
  • Modifying the church entrance with a colonial and modern front (1971)
  • Adding two wings and expanding the sanctuary (1978)
  • Modifying the church entrance and building a gymnasium (1989)
  • Purchasing and additional 19.7 acres of land adjacent to the church (1995).

In 1989 Oak Grove was named a historical site and is listed in the National Historic Register.

A New Beginning...

The current building project is part of the vision that God has given to Pastor Donald L. Johnson, who was named pastor of Oak Grove in 1993 at 28 years of age, the youngest pastor ever elected at Oak Grove. Although young in years, Pastor Johnson has shown that that he is more than capable of carrying on the work that God have given to Oak Grove specifically and the church in general. Under his leadership, Oak Grove continues to grow spiritually, physically and financially. With a total membership over 1100 members and ministries to meet the needs of people from all walks of life, Oak grove is truly enjoying an abundance of god's blessings.

New Oak Grove Church

We have started Phase I of our master plan. Phase I entails building a new worship center that includes classrooms, administrative offices, prayer room, chapel, baptismal, sound control room and a music/choir room. The worship center will seat 800 on the floor level and 400 in the balcony with expandable capability. This phase will consist of approximately 32,000 square feet with an estimate cost of over $6 million. Phase II will focus on developing the physical man with a various sports facilities including tennis courts, a baseball field, soccer field, volleyball court, outdoor basketball court, mini-golf range, and walking trails. Phase III will focus on our senior citizens. We envision a complex of four buildings with accommodations for four families per building.

We thank God in advance for what he has done in the spiritual realm and will manifest in the natural realm.