Started as a mission of the Cohansey Baptist Church in Roadstown, NJ, First Baptist was the first Baptist church in Salem county and the eighth Baptist church in New Jersey.  The congregation began meeting in 1745, and the church was organized on May 17, 1755.  The original name was The Antipeado Baptist Society Meeting in Salem and Lower Alloway's Creek.  We have just celebrated our 250th anniversary.

Pictured at right is our third house of worship (and the one we currently occupy).  The church's first meeting house was at Mill Hollow farm and would fit in our current sanctuary.  In an effort to move closer to the center of town, our second building was on Yorke St.  It was built around 1790.  It was soon decided that even that location was too far from the center of the city, so the current property was purchased and the house of worship was built in 1845.  The church included a clock in the tower when it was built.  That clock stopped working in 1903, and was replaced using funds raised from the congregation and the city residents.  There have been modifications over the years, most notably the relocation of the organ's pipes after the 1947 fire.

With most of the churches in the Salem area, we have been experiencing decline for the last several years, but, thanks be to God, that seems to be slowing down.  There are new things happening, and new people coming, as we seek to be faithful to our calling and mission.

Please feel free to browse around our site.  Even better, come and visit us on Sunday morning.  We would love to celebrate God's love and faithfulness with you as, together, we seek to be more faithful to Him!

Since September 1, 1999 the Rev. Jonathan W. Kershner, M.Div., B.S. (though we usually just call him "Pastor Jon") has served as our pastor.  Pastor Jon earned his Bachelor's degree in Physics from West Virginia University in 1991.  After answering God's call he married Sherri in 1995, and they moved to North Carolina, where he attended South Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary for one year.  In 1996 he transferred to Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Theological Seminary) from which he graduated with his Master of Divinity degree in 1999.  While Pastor Jon served as a Pastoral Intern during his time in seminary, often filling in for the pastors under which he served when they were unable to perform their duties, First Baptist Church of Salem, New Jersey, is his first full-time pastoral position.  Pastor Jon lives in the parsonage in Salem with his wife, Sherri, and their three children.

The purpose of this church shall be the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ at home and throughout the world, the administration of the ordinances of the New Testament, and the spiritual growth of its members.  All persons who accept membership shall take upon themselves the ministry of Jesus Christ.