Our Story
In July 1891, J.W. Rogers conducted a gospel meeting which resulted in the organization now known as the Broad Street Church of Christ, Inc. The 18 charter members (E.A. Gibson, Frannie Gibson, Pollie Gibson, W.T. Lawler and spouse, E. Burkett, L.A. Teague, Nellie Teague, J.L. Hearn, W.R. Wilson and spouse, E.L. Hearn, Randell Jordan, T.A. White and spouse, Rachel Gibson, H.J. Council, and Addie Murry) met for the first time on July 19, 1891. The congregation first met at the corner of Broad and Church Streets where a Regions Bank currently stands. W.T. Lawler and J.L. Hearn were our first two elders and E.E. Muse and W.R. Wilson were our first two deacons.
Tragedy struck Lexington on Friday, March 13, 1913, when a tornado destroyed much of the town including the church building. The building was rebuilt in 1914.
The oldest attendance records on file (1928) show an average attendance of 66 people and an annual budget of $327. By 1935, weekly attendance was up to 88 people and the annual budget up to $445. As the church grew in number, a new location was needed.
In August 1950, the church moved to its present location at 131 North Broad Street. The total cost of the land and construction of the new facilities was approximately $65,000 (about $675,000 in 2018 dollars). The church had around about 250 members, but the auditorium and balcony accommodated over 400 people. There were also eight classrooms and a fellowship hall constructed. A picture of the new building was published in the Tennessean on Friday, August 4, 1950.
In the 1970s, the Brown residential property was purchased and developed into parking spaces. In 1980, the auditorium was enlarged to a seating capacity of more than 600. In 1982, the Holcomb residential property was purchased and a portion of that area converted into even more parking space. The Holcomb house is presently used as a residence for the youth minister. In 1993, the People’s property was purchased and developed into additional parking space in 1994.
The most significant renovation in the history of the church occured in 2004. Fifteen classrooms, gymnasium, fellowship and hospitality room, elevator, storage area, commerical kitchen, conference room, youth room, teacher workroom, and library were constructed as part of a $500,000+ expansion.
In 2014 and 2015, two adjacent Huntingdon Street residential properties north of the current facilities were acquired and cleared to provide green space and future expansion options.
Many faithful Christian people have contributed to the strength and growth of this congregation through its rich history. A.G. Freed, N.B. Hardeman, Gus Dunn, Jasper Dunn, G.C. Brewer, and Guy N. Woods are among the many strong Christian men who have preached for the congregation. Since 1944, the following men have served as evangelists: Joe VanDyke Sr., Charles Stovall, Charles Thomason, Joe VanDyke Jr., Charles Tharp, Larry Waymire, P.J. Hardy, and presently, Justin Rogers.
Justin Rogers has served as our evangelist since January 2018. P.J. Hardy has served as an evangelist and minister for our congregation since July 1999. Virginia McClain served as our full-time church secretary from 1975 until June 2018. In June 2018, Virginia moved to a part-time role when Becky Cargile also began serving as a part-time secretary. Eddie Goff and Jerry Scott have served as our custodians for many years. Larry Waymire currently serves as our missions minister and has been in the role for over a decade. The congregation supports mission work in the United States and throughout the world, and the eldership has always taken the command “go and teach all nations” very seriously.
We have a very active youth group consisting of the BSKs (kids and preteens) and the BSYG (teens). Our current youth minister is Brady Wilkes, who joined our congregation in 2018. Previous youth ministers include Carter Hoover, Luke Guard, Travis Hartle, Justin Hildenbrandt, Mark Simons, Scott Lanning, Dwayne Parker, and Paul Kidwell.
Currently, our leadership consists of four elders and 14 deacons. As of January 2020, the elders are Arness Henry, Johnnie Meggs, Bill Ousley, and Larry Woods. The deacons are Roman Brown, Ronald Brown, Paden Buckley, Dan Eason, Randy Eason, David Heath, Justin Hildenbrandt, Stephen Jackson, Larry Johnson, Brandon Lanciloti, Jeff McPeake, Mark Montgomery, Jon Patterson, and Jerry Scott.
God has blessed the Broad Street congregation across the years and will continue to send His blessings if we continue to do His will. We currently have an average attendance of 321 people on Sunday mornings. We would love to have you join us for worship!