Our Mission & Vision
At the First Baptist Church of Brentwood, we seek to encourage and uplift you in life’s journey.
Seeking the Mind of God through worship, study, and fellowship. Supporting Missionaries in Australia, along with the American Baptist Churches
A Brief History…
Founded in 1771 by Dr. Samuel Shepard, the First Baptist Church began as the Brentwood Baptist Church. A loyal follower of King George III, Dr. Shepard ministered effectively throughout the American Revolution and well into the 19th century, serving the church for a total of 40 years, until his retirement in 1811. He died in 1815 and is buried just a few hundred yards from the church.
During his ministry, Dr. Shepard served as an Evangelist, traveling throughout Southeastern New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts, establishing two dozen satellite congregations in places such as Amesbury and Salisbury, Massachusetts as well as Hawk (now Danville), South Hampton, and Hampton Falls.
Each of these satellites remained part of the Mother church, it being known as “The Brentwood Baptist Church and its Branches”. As such it was, at one time, New England’s largest church. While some of those satellite churches no longer exist, over a dozen continue the ministry first begun by Dr. Shepard.
The original building burned; the existing brick church was erected in 1829. The Vestry, attached to the church, was added during the mid-1950s. It houses the Pastor’s office, church office, Sunday school classroom, a large meeting room, a kitchen, and restrooms.
We celebrated our 250th anniversary on May 2nd, 2021, the exact date of the church’s incorporation and we look forward to providing diligent, caring, ministry for many years to come.
The First Baptist Church of Brentwood is a member of the Southeastern Association of the American Baptist Churches of Vermont and New Hampshire and the American Baptist Churches, USA, the fourth largest Baptist denomination in America.
Our Team & Leadership
Rev. James R. Barnes (Rev. Jim)
Pastor
This is actually Pastor Jim’s second time in Brentwood. He was Pastor here from 1987 until 1994 and he was ordained in Brentwood in 1991.
In between his times here, Pastor Jim had a long secular career in the propane gas industry, serving as Director of Marketing and as an Energy Consultant for one of the largest independent propane dealers in New England.
Following retirement in 2011, Jim embarked on a second career, this time as a singer/songwriter. He has penned and recorded nearly sixty songs about New Hampshire. These have all been compiled into four separate CD collections.
The call to pastor the Brentwood church, however, takes precedence over any of this. Jim jokingly says, “It took me sixty-nine years to find my dream job.”
Working in the “real world” has enabled Jim to have a good grasp of how to relate to people and being a songwriter has helped him to develop good communication skills.
Jim understands the struggles that people have today, from the difficulty of raising children, to battles with alcohol and illness. He is prepared and ready to help triumph over them through the power of Jesus Christ.
In late 2017, just before being re-called to Brentwood, Jim published his first book, a devotional volume, entitled Walk Well the Winding Way.
Pastor Jim’s wife, Cheryl, a registered nurse, is retired, having served 49 years, mostly as Director of Nurses in several facilities in New Hampshire. In 2018 she was voted Nurse Leader of the Year (Northeast Region) by the National Association of Directors of Nurses.
Pastor’s Timeline
1981 Enrolled in the Institute for the Laity of the American Baptist Churches
1984-1987 Pastor of Loudon (NH) Freewill Baptist Church
1987-1994 Pastor of First Baptist Church of Brentwood (NH)
1989 Received a Degree in Pastoral Ministry from Southwestern Baptist Seminary
1991 Ministry Supervisor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
1991 Ordained in Brentwood
1995-1996 Itinerant Bible teacher and unofficial Pastor’s assistant
2015-17 Pastor of Chocorua Community Church (NH)
2017-Present: Pastor of First Baptist Church of Brentwood
2024 Board of Trustees
David Flagg
Chair Person
Barbara Card
Annette Morse
Marie Hall
Craig Sappo
Michael Riley
2024 Board of Deacons
Kara Gordon
Chair Person
Glenn Jamison
Max Lindstrom
Deb Flagg
Kim Mather
Malcolm Hall
Our Beliefs & Values
We believe small churches are just the right size. At the First Baptist Church of Brentwood you can be someone special, not just an anonymous face in the crowd. We are large enough to minister yet small enough to care.
When you worship with us, you will be greeted warmly by friendly, caring people just like yourself. you will be blessed by a blend of traditional and contemporary music and hear an uplifing message of hope, peace, and joy.
