In the spring of 1818, the first Bull Creek Church was organized by about twenty-seven settlers along Bull Creek. The settlers adotped eleven (11) articles of faith and chartered their organization, "The Church of Christ on Bull Creek." The date for the changing of the church name to Bull Creek Baptist Church is unknown.
The first church building, located on Bone Camp Road, was made of logs, mud, and stone. This building had no windows, and only one door. The pews were made from split logs. This structure was used until 1876... 51 years. This church building can still seen today on the current property of the current church.
In 1875, with many of the charter members either deceased or moved away, the congregation relocated up the ridge near David Edward's field. This was apparently a well-known place. The new building was now a larger, white-framed building.
Moses Freeman was the first pastor for this organized group. David Edwards was ordained as the first deacon on August 8th, 1830, and no thers were ordained until 1857. At this time, five more were ordained.
The organization and program of the early church was very simple. Worship was on Sunday and buisness meetings were held each fourth Saturday of the month.
In the early records there was no mention of any pay for the preacher, nor of any offering received for the "furtherance of the gospel." The offerings, when taken, ranged from $3.70 to $44.66. The story is ... on the Sunday that the minister preached on "The Evils of Strong Drink,' the offering was only $3.70. Whether the message had anything to do with the offering amount... no one knows. (A pastor's salary was not a fixed amount until 1934 when the church began a budget system.)
Records of the churchfrom 1834 to 1932, about ninety-eight years, are very scanty. Only interviews with older members and bits and pieces gleaned from the French Broad Baptist Association have given us any information about those years.
It is known that a Sunday School was started in 1856. Available information tells of the evangelistic fervor of the church. However, that did not carry over to missions. Although, one record does show that a mission offering of $1.30 was received on October 4th, 1873. It was not until August 26th, 1988 that the church took a step forward in promoting missions. The church then resolved to support Foreign and State MIssions plus the orphanage at Thomasville, NC.
The question of order and doctrine often arose, which occasioned confusion and sometimes divsions within the early church. Bull Creek has experienced three types of separation. The first in 1830 involved the question of conservation and orthodox beliefs. At this time, some members petitioned for a dismission to become constituted as another church, since no agreement on some beliefs could be reached.
The second division in 1930 was caused when an attempt to expand the mission program was questioned. The issue was whether or not the church should use literature published by the Southern Baptist Convention and whther or not a Baptist Young People's Union could be formed. Those opposed both movements withdrew to form another church.
The last parting came in 1998. There was no doctrinal difference, but the pastor resigned and a portion of the congregation chose to follow him. These people requested to have their names removed from the church roll. The church voted to remove the names per request.
In the late 1930's and early 1940's, Bull Creek reorganized and began to work diligently to strengthen all of the church's programs of service.
Today, Bull Creek Baptist Church serves as an institution of Madison County, NC. It continues to serve as a place for the community to fellowship and worship The Lord Jesus Christ together. As of present, Reverend Jerry Shelton serves as senior pastor along with several associate, youth, and educational pastors.