Heritage Baptist Church is one of the youngest churches in Bartow County. In 1987, a group of about one hundred people in the First Baptist Church of Cartersville congregation formed a new church to accommodate Bartow County’s growing population. The new congregation began to meet on the second floor of the C&S Bank of Cartersville in 1987.  They remained in this location for two years while building a church at its current location. On January 8, 1989, Heritage Baptist Church left the bank building and moved into their permanent location at 1070 Douthit Ferry Road, Cartersville, GA 30120, which can be viewed on this map of Bartow County Baptist Churches: https://goo.gl/maps/9uTux1G4ZvQ2. Work on this facility was completed by September of 1993.

Heritage Baptist Church is unique in its drive to be a progressive, inclusive church. One of the first things they did to ensure their foundation in this ideology was to draft their own, personalized Church Covenant. This living document preserved the vision the founders had of creating an inclusive church. The first draft was introduced in 1989; however, in keeping in tone with the church ideology, it is occasionally reviewed and updated. The changed in the covenant are as constant as the changes in the congregation, so that it continuously reflects the calling of the church. Another way in which the church has been progressive is through supporting equality for men and women in the church. From the beginning, “women and men have shared equally in leadership at Heritage, including the role of ministers and deacons” (History). One of the first examples of this is when Ms. Rachel Lackey was called to be full time Minister of Music and Youth in 1988. She was later ordained by the congregation in 1991.

The church currently holds service Sunday starting at 8:45 am and Wednesday night at 6:30 pm. More information about the church is available online at http://www.hbccartersville.org/.

Sources

“Heritage Baptist Church.” Bartow County Georgia Heritage Book. Vol. 2. Cartersville: Bartow County Genealogical Society, 1998. 45-46.

“History.” Heritage Baptist Church. Accessed July 16, 2018. http://www.hbccartersville.org/history/.

“Our Covenant.” Heritage Baptist Church. Accessed July 16, 2018. http://www.hbccartersville.org/church-covenant/.

Strickland, Clarissa. “Heritage Baptist Church.” Bartow County Georgia Heritage Book. Vol. 1. Cartersville: Bartow County Genealogical Society, 1995. 39.

Written and researched by Amy Young, Kennesaw State University Intern, Fall 2018.