NORTH KANNAPOLIS history
A BRIEF HISTORY OF
NORTH KANNAPOLIS BAPTIST CHURCH
In the summer of 1930, the First Baptist Church of Kannapolis took a religious census of the northern part of the city. This census revealed
540 Baptist people with their memberships elsewhere and a very large number of unsaved people in the area.
The First Baptist Church responded to this need by conducting a revival meeting in the community. A tent was erected on the corner of North Juniper Avenue and 11th Street. On Sunday, September 28, 1930, at three o'clock in the afternoon, a large crowd gathered under the tent to organize a new church with a charter membership of 71. In the first 27 years of her life, NKBC received 1,594 members, an average of 59 new members a year for 27 years! Going beyond those first years, the church has continued to be blessed by the ministry of dedicated pastors and members serving together to build Christ's church.
The missionary spirit of NKBC led to the establishment of five mission churches: West Point Baptist Church, Franklin Heights Baptist Church, Lakewood Baptist Church, Blackwelder Park Baptist Church, and Jackson Park Baptist Church. In 1995, North Kannapolis helped start an African-American mission, Kannapolis Community Church.
Also, in 1995, NKBC opened the Helping Hands Thrift Store, and profits from the store were used for missions at home and abroad until the store closed in 2019. In 1997, North Kannapolis merged a Christian school (Frontier Christian Academy) into the church program, which operated as North Kannapolis Christian Academy until 2025.
Pastoral leadership has included Rev. Wade H. James, Rev. Clyde Yates, Rev. E. C. Roach, Rev. Wade James (2nd tenure), Rev. Virgil Hailey, Rev. Coy Privette, Rev. Marshall Vaughn, Rev. Ray Pennell, Dr. James Lankford, Rev. Leon Hawks, Dr. David Myers, Rev. David Prather, Dr. Chris O'Guin, Dr. Keith Pisani, and Dr. Timothy Brown.
The history of the physical buildings of the church is exciting. From the tent, the fellowship moved back to the grove of trees for a time and then into a brick store building on the corner of 8th Street and Church Avenue. In the spring of 1931, the church bought lots on Locust Street and began the erection of its first building. As the church grew, an educational building was added in 1936 and a pastor's home in 1937. In 1943, the church purchased additional property. In June of 1963, the church issued its first contract for the present structure; in July, 1965, the church used for the first time the present sanctuary and educational building. In 1997, the Kelly Watts Family Life Center given to NKBC by one of its member families was dedicated. A new fellowship building, McMurray Hall, was dedicated in 1999. Two houses beside the church and one across the street plus additional land have also been added.
The Lord has truly blessed the ministry of NKBC during her 95-year history. We pray that with God's help we can build an even brighter future based on what has been accomplished in the past!