Our History

On Sunday, November 6, 1949, a group of visionary men and women from First Baptist Church of Montgomery circulated an invitation in southern Montgomery.  They invited nearby residents to “be present and organize Ridgecrest Baptist Sunday School…” at 9:45 a.m.  These faithful few organized and constituted as a church on March 5, 1950, with 91 charter members.  The first pastor was Reverend H. Richard Bills. 

Our Pastors

The church grew rapidly during the fifties, developing a strong, evangelistic Sunday School ministry.  Ridgecrest set the pace as a Great Commission church by leading the state of Alabama in baptisms in 1958.  During the period of 1950-58, the church reported over 100 baptisms a year.

As many communities do, the population around Ridgecrest at its first location on Cleveland Avenue began to change and shift eastward.  This resulted in a marked decline in membership during the seventies.  Reverend John Lindsey provided strong leadership in a difficult period of transition.  The church purchased the land where the church is now located on Vaughn Road from the Montgomery Baptist Association.

In June of 1976, groundbreaking was held for the current facility.  One year later, the church moved from Cleveland Avenue and held its first worship service here in the present worship center.  As one of the very first churches in what is now the fastest growing part of Montgomery, Ridgecrest once again experienced healthy growth.  In the fall of 1980, an education wing was added to the church.  Later, in the fall of 1989, a plan was put in place to add more education space and to build a Family Life Center.  On Sunday, September 9, 1989, ground was broken on this complex.

Ridgecrest now looks forward to a new century of ministry in east Montgomery with a fresh sense of enthusiasm and excitement.  In the spring of 2000, our pastor invited the deacons and other church leadership to form a “Vision 21 Leadership Team.”  This group consists of the pastor, church staff, and other men and women in our church.  The Vision 21 Leadership Team was commissioned to do two things:

(1)

Develop a purpose statement for Ridgecrest Baptist Church
that clearly describes our mission and values.

(2)

Develop a ministry strategy proposal that will recommend
vital areas of ministry action for the next three years.

This team will continue to function as a vision community that keeps us focused on the future and prepared for implementing needed changes.  We firmly believe that the greatest days in the life and ministry of Ridgecrest are still in the future, and we look forward to experiencing it with you!