History of Rehoboth Baptist Association

In August of 1856, fifteen churches from Soda Lake Association and Red River Association formed the Rehoboth Missionary Baptist Association. The first meeting was in the New Liberty Baptist Church which is now First Baptist, Mt. Vernon. Other churches still in the association that were represented in the October 31, 1856 organizational meeting are Union and Cypress. There were churches from Upshur, Hopkins, Cass, Titus and Wood counties. Rehoboth became the sixteenth association in Texas. It is the only association in Northeast Texas that has maintained continuous existence from its pre-Civil war beginning till today.

At this first meeting they elected James Isaac, pastor of Cypress, as their domestic missionary at a salary of $300 a year. He was "to ride in the bounds of the association for the ensuing year." At the actual organization there were 18 churches and 637 members.

It was 1875 when First Baptist, Sulphur Springs (Organized 1859) became the first church in the association to have preaching every Sunday. The following years Texas Baptists became organized under the Baptist General Convention and the Baptist Missionary Association. New associations were formed as churches and pastors made their choice of affiliation. After all was said and done, there were 45 churches in Rehoboth at the turn of the century. Making it through this division and realigning were Black Oak, Como, Greenwood, Richland, First Sulphur Springs, glade Springs, First Mt. Vernon, and Mt. olive. The association stressed missions, Sunday School work and the education of ministers.

In the early years of the 1900's a controversy arose over the affiliation of the churches. There were both BGCT and BMA churches in the association though the association had been in active cooperation with the BGCT. In 1904 the association refused to seat messengers from churches affiliated with the other state associations and the division was complete. Fourteen churches were lost. But the Rehoboth churches baptized 455 in 1906 and 528 in 190 as growth continued.

Rehoboth had many mountain tops and valleys between those early years and now. But it was those early leaders and controversies that shaped us for today. High points through the years were reached. In the post war 40's the association had as many as 61 churches reporting. Membership reached 10,000 in 1950 and hovered at that for a decade and a half. The 1960's brought changes in America, the rural areas, the alignment of associations and churches depleting Rehoboth's churches to the 40's and membership below 8,000.

A renewed emphasis on missions and the faithful participation of the rural churches turned this trend around in the mid 1970's. The consciousness of a need for new missions, better trained leaders, and a greater fellowship has proved to be a factor in steady growth for the past years. The association has become the strategist arm of the churches for mission outreach and the growing of disciples.

During the decade of the 1980's six churches were constituted and five missions were begun which are still functioning as missions and have contributed to some significant growth in the association.