Our History

God has been gracious to bless our church with people who have had a passion to serve Him ever since our earliest beginnings almost a century ago. All along the journey, He has been faithful to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Hollywood Baptist Church

Seventh Street Baptist Church sponsored a mission church in the Hollywood community of Memphis in the early part of 1916. That was the genesis of our church. Brother C.S. Koonce served as the mission pastor and preached the first worship services in a grove at what is now Maplewood and Peres. The small fellowship met for Sunday School in a residence at Oakwood and Sanders. In 1918 a modest building was erected. The Baptist mission was constituted into Hollywood Baptist Church on April 21, 1918 with eighteen founding members and Brother T.E. Rice as the first pastor.

In 1952 the church moved to Hollywood Street when it purchased a lot with an existing house on it. An education building was built two years later and in 1959 a new sanctuary building with additional classrooms was dedicated. Five acres on Rangeline Road was purchased in 1964 and Hollywood Baptist Church relocated to the Frayser area in 1965. With Brother M.C. Barton as pastor, the congregation dedicated the new facilities in July 1966.

Providence Baptist Church

Brother Kelly Smith was called as the pastor in 1990. In August 1997 the present thirteen acres site was purchased and the old campus was sold to Shiloh Baptist Church. Over the next three years, the church shared facilities, first with Skyview Baptist Church and then with Frayser Baptist Church.

A groundbreaking celebration and ceremony was held on March 21, 1999. Providence Baptist Church of Bartlett was voted as the new name, reflecting both the new community and the way God continued to providentially provide for all our needs. Dedication of the new worship center was held on August 27, 2000.

Now seven years later, as we are on the eve of constructing a new building, we celebrate the past and look forward to a future full of hope in Christ. Since our relocation, God has blessed us with numerical and, especially, spiritual growth. It is our prayer that He would be at the center of every family represented and alive in the hearts of His people who comprise the Body of Christ at Providence. PBC exists to glorify God, to make and equip disciples, to minister to our community, and to reach the world for Christ.