This week in Christian history: Jerry Falwell church founded, John Marrant born, Johannes Tauler dies
Thomas Road Baptist Church founded – June 17, 1956
This week marks the anniversary of when Thomas Road Baptist Church, founded by prominent conservative Christian activist the Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr., held its first worship service.
Thomas Road Baptist held its inaugural gathering at Mountain View Elementary School in Lynchburg, Virginia, with around 35 people in attendance. A few days later, Falwell was officially made pastor, and the first trustees were elected.
Later that month, the new congregation would begin holding services at an old building that had once housed the Donald Duck Bottling Company. The church would go through many different buildings as it continued to grow, eventually moving to its location at the North Campus of Liberty University in 2006.
In 1979, Falwell founded the Moral Majority, an influential conservative Christian political advocacy group that is credited with helping millions of Christians register to vote, among other achievements.
Falwell remained the lead pastor of the church until his death in 2007.
