Our History

The story of Laurinburg began in a small community populated by Scots Presbyterians, and the town grew slowly along an active stagecoach route. Growth continued during the 1850's with a cotton gin, a few stores, and a Presbyterian Church established in 1859. The beginning of the Civil War brought the Carolina Central Railroad main shops, which moved here from Wilmington to avoid capture. Several of the new railroad families were Baptists; by 1878 there was a move to formalize a Baptist faith family in Laurinburg. During 1879 the first church building was erected at the corner of Cronly and Everett Streets.

In 1928 the church occupied its new sanctuary in the current location on East Church Street; the addition of the education building was completed in 1961. In 1993 the sanctuary was completely renovated and in the early 2000's a wing was added to house an elevator. FBC has been blessed with the leadership of thirty-one able Pastors. We also have enjoyed other strong staff members, including Associate Pastors, Ministers of Education, Ministers of Music, Youth Directors, Church Secretaries, and Financial Secretaries; as well as several outstanding Interim Pastors.

Highlights of our church history are many and varied. Three mission churches were established by FBC-Laurinburg, which grew into the current Baptist churches of North Laurinburg, Laurel Hill, and Stewartsville. During the 1960's we grew to over 900 members and helped welcome St. Andrews Presbyterian College and many new industries to Scotland County. Later we enjoyed the formation of a graded choir program and established several outreach ministries, including a long-running childcare program and several foreign and local mission projects.

In 1976 FBC ordained its first woman deacon and in 1990 ordained its first woman into the ministry. We assisted in the formation and support of Church Community Services and Scotland Counseling Center and raised funds and volunteers for the construction of a Habitat House in 2013.

In spite of many positive examples of faith and growth; our church history has reflected the challenges facing our nation, our local community, and our denomination. We have worked through economic and political upheavals and instability in the life of what it means to be Baptist. After a history of being in the Southern Baptist Convention, in 1986 we were informally linked with the Southern Baptist Alliance. Being dually aligned for a period, we finally joined the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in 1990.

In the early 2000's we experienced the exodus of some members to form a new church. Healing took place through time, a new minister, and even the return of some former members. We feel that we are stronger for having survived many of the difficulties which face many bodies of faith.

In 2021, we called our first female interim pastor. The Pastor Search Committee decided that she was the right fit for our church, and we extended a call for her to continue as full-time pastor, which she accepted. During this time, we saw a tremendous growth in ecumenical cooperation with our neighbor downtown churches. In 2023 and 2024 we sent a missions team as part of a larger group to South Africa to work with a rural church and community.

It was around this time that we elected to fully dissociate from the Southern Baptist Convention. We felt that our church polity and beliefs were much more closely aligned with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, with whom we strengthened our ties. We have enjoyed this relationship since the early 2020s.

Laurinburg FBC believes in the Gospel of Jesus Christ; as well as the historical Baptist messages of believer's baptism, the priesthood of believers, and the separation of church and state. We seek to be inclusive in welcoming worshipers and in our church leadership. We wish to be involved in ministry to our local community and in supporting larger efforts with other Baptists. Our worship style has been basically traditional, but we are open to alternative ways of reaching new members and youth.