First Baptist Church New Street

Continuity in the Community

November 19, 2025 

For nearly two hundred years, one religious congregation in Macon has been a prime example of the divide in the South, divided not by geography or belief, but through race. First Baptist Church on New Street was once a part of a larger congregation currently known as First Baptist Church of Christ, formerly Macon’s First Baptist Church. This original congregation consisted of both White members and enslaved Black members, who worshiped together but were segregated. Over time, the number of Black congregants grew larger and formed a separate Black congregation around the 1840s. Award-winning journalist Tommy Tomlinson dives into the divide between the two First Baptist congregations in Macon, and how congregational leaders are attempting to mend the divide.  

An article written by Tomlinson in Wake Forest Magazine, titled “First Among Equals” states that,

“The congregations share a common history that goes back almost as far as this central Georgia city itself. But one church is black, and the other is white, and that has kept them divided for more than 150 years.”

Although the two congregations have been separated for one hundred and fifty years, Reverend James Goolsby has been attempting to mend the divide.  

Over the past century and a half, First Baptist Church on New Street has been led by numerous pastors and reverends, Rev. Goolsby being the current. He has been at First Baptist Church for twenty-one years, the longest tenure in the history of the church. Rev. Goolsby has attended church since he was four years old, avoiding the call to ministry as long as he could. Though he said he could only avoid the call for so long before eventually answering it.  

According to Rev. Goolsby, the original congregation will celebrate their two hundred year birthday next year. However, due to the aforementioned split, the two-hundred-year milestone will likely hold little to no weight for most First Baptist congregants. Even though the two churches no longer share a birthday, First Baptist Church on New Street is still the second-oldest existing Black ministry congregation in Macon, according to Rev. Goolsby. Over the past decade, Rev. Goolsby has collaborated with Rev. Scott Dickison, the then reverend of First Baptist Church of Christ, to restore a bit of the lost history between the two congregations.  

There have been many previous attempts to mend the relationship between the two congregations, including earlier pastors swapping congregations from time to time and the two congregations worshiping together briefly after September 11th (Tomlinson). These collective gatherings did not create much lasting change, as the churches were not involved with each other outside of those few occasions. This remained the case for many years until 2016, when the two congregations met to discuss race, not only as it pertains to the country, but to the history of both churches as well (Tomlinson). The two churches have continued to try and bridge the divide, but with limited success, according to Reverend Goolsby.  

Appearance and Services 

First Baptist Church New Street has history built into its infrastructure. Housed in a tall brick building reminiscent of Romanesque Revival architecture, First Baptist New Street was designed by the same architect who designed the First Baptist Church of Christ. As congregants ascend the entrance steps, they see the names of founding and previous pastors engraved in the stones. Upon entering, congregants find themselves in a foyer with plush red carpet. To the left are stairs leading downstairs. Straight ahead is the sanctuary. With high vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, and numerous stained-glass windows, the many pews are bathed in natural light. A few of the stained-glass windows provide the names and faces of past pastors. At the front of the sanctuary is the altar with an unused organ to the right and seats for a choir to the left. Overall, the atmosphere of the church is welcoming, ushering people into worship.  

Although Sunday service does not begin until 11 a.m., congregants are usually already seated from 10 a.m. Bible study. These congregants are primarily older and long-standing members of the church. Before service, members enter casually making their way to their seats while openly greeting each other. Without fail, at least one person will go around and check in on everyone, asking how they and their family have been, appearing relatively close with everyone. Even guests are greeted with much gratitude and excitement. As 11 a.m. approaches, people find their seats with friends or family, and the service begins.  

Often, the service opened with a deacon saying a few words to get people’s attention. Usually, these were prayers for those in need, along with a declaration of thanks for those in attendance. Other times, the service started with a man singing while playing a piano, as the members swayed or sang along. After prayers and any additional songs, Rev. Goolsby stood up and began his sermon. Typically, his sermons lasted at most half an hour, beginning with an anecdote and tying it into a passage or verse from the Bible. He usually called for the congregation to read the verse with him. The sermons were typically about one’s relationship with God and others, and accepting God into every portion of one’s life. On one occasion, Rev. Goolsby recounted how he and his wife met, using that as an example of how God provides. Another time, he talked about how mental health is important, and because of this, everyone should allow God into their lives. Each member seemed to actively listen, nodding along to his sermons, laughing at his jokes, responding through murmers of agreement. At the conclusion of the sermon, donations were collected by ushers with silver plates, and any announcements about church activities were made. Once the service is over, people mingled for a bit, saying hi to those they missed or thanking guests for coming by, until they have to leave. While the members of First Baptist are very active within the church, they also come together outside of Sundays to give back.  

First Baptist does its part to give back to its community in Macon. During an interview with a lifelong member of the church in his early twenties, he mentioned the congregation would regularly support the community, including handing out food to the unhoused in Macon, volunteering at soup kitchens, and visiting retirement homes. However, while the church is trying to expand, these actions are “secular,” meaning there are no religious ties to their actions. They help everyone, regardless of religious beliefs, providing Macon with judgment-free help. However, while they are a close-knit community both in and out of church, they are not without their challenges.  

Conflict and Change   

Following such a turbulent time in the country’s history, including rampant political polarization, social justice initiatives, and the COVID-19 pandemic, First Baptist New Street has faced a decline in membership, in-person attendance, and overall interconnectedness.   

Previously, there were multiple opportunities to build community beyond regularly scheduled church services and Bible Study sessions. In an interview, a deacon and lay leader of First Baptist New Street listed the community’s regularly scheduled activities which includes a couples’ ministry, a kid’s ministry, a choir ministry, and more. However, following the pandemic, these activities were disrupted, and many members did not return with their previous vigor. The previously steady attendance became sporadic, and interest declined following the quarantine-induced isolation. Although it has been over five years since the beginning of the pandemic, even regular church services struggled to regain their previous momentum as many individuals opt for the more convenient virtual service. As a result, when it comes to additional events hosted beyond the minimum obligations of Sunday attendance, there has been a stark decrease in participation within First Baptist New Street. Events that would usually attract thirty people or more have seen only four or five people show up. The community is currently asking itself how to get membership back.    

Leaders of First Baptist believe the answer lies with the youth of the church. Considering First Baptist remains one of the oldest Black churches in Macon, with many families who have attended for generations, this connection to younger generations is crucial. By attracting younger demographics, whether that be younger families with children or college and high school students, the church leaders hope to create multigenerational attendance and reverse their aging membership. However, understanding the problem and executing the solution has created further challenges determining how to begin outreach. Some believe that congregational leaders should be the pioneers of these efforts, while others counter that it is the role of all community members. One deacon we interviewed suggested that they have a Christian responsibility to participate in “recruiting and getting people to come and sharing the word of God.”  Currently, the community has had multiple conversations discussing the necessary steps to revitalize their congregation.  

In the The American Religious Landscape, author Ryan Burge presents statistics regarding changes in Black Protestant demographics over time. These figures illustrate that difficulties in attracting congregants are not exclusive to First Baptist New Street, considering the decline in Black Protestant congregations nationwide. Since the 1980s, Black individuals identifying as Black Protestants have decreased from nearly 90% to approximately 60% by 2014. The decline is more drastic across age groups: 60% of Black respondents 60 and older identified as Protestant while the same could only be said for less than 40% of 20-year-olds. 

Despite the challenges, First Baptist New Street remains a resilient example of continuity within Macon, as they continue to expand their involvement in the community. Rev. Goolsby explained that the church has purchased a building across the street to help the broader community as well as themselves. Church leaders hope the building will serve as affordable housing for those in need while simultaneously providing additional revenue options for the church.  It is through these initiatives that First Baptist New Street continues their historical impact on the Macon community and broadens their community outreach.  

Vaishnavi Jayakumar is a sophomore majoring in Biology and Psychology.

Jayla Simmons is a sophomore majoring in Kinesiology.

Zacharey Morgan is a sophomore majoring in Global Health.