OUR History

Battle Ground Baptist Church began in April, 1953, when 8 adults met for prayer, fellowship, Bible study, and to discuss their hope for a Baptist Church.  In June of that year, 20 members were chartered.  An unfinished carpenter’s shop on 1st Street in Battle Ground was the first location, and Rev. Thomas Hankins was hired for full time service.  In March, 1954, a lot was purchased and a building started at 409 South Parkway.  The building was done with all volunteer builders.  By December of that year, approximately 120 people were attending Sunday school classes and worship in the unfinished building.  The church building was finished and dedicated in June of 1956.  As the community grew, so did the church under the leadership of Pastor Landis Epp.  In September 1986, a new building campaign was launched.  The theme was “A Positive Past – A Fantastic Future”.  Property was purchased near Highway 503 just north of town.  The new facility was completed in 1990 free of indebtedness.  The auditorium seats 400 and is located in 10 acres in a continually growing area of new homes and schools. In January 1992 Pastor Landis Epp stepped down as senior pastor to devote his time to a Chaplaincy ministry.  In 1999, the church called Pastor Ed Shaw to serve as Senior Pastor.  Pastor Ed served the church faithfully for almost ten years.  When Pastor Ed retired, we had an interim pastor for a season and then we called Dr. Calvin Blom to be our Senior Pastor.  He, too, made the decision that at the age of 70, he wanted to step back from some of his Senior Pastor responsibilities and go back to teaching part time at Multnomah.   He agreed to remain at the church as the Teaching Pastor until a new full time Senior Pastor was called.  In August of 2017, Dr. Shawn Newberry was hired to be our Senior Pastor and is still here to this day.  He and his wife Joanna have faithfully been in ministry for 30 years. They've been an incredible blessing to our church family. Landis Epp and his wife, and Ed Shaw and his wife still attend Battle Ground Baptist to this day.  Click Here  to learn more about the history of Battle Ground. 

Battle Ground Baptist Church has our doors open every day of the week. The church sees on average 250 people every Sunday Morning. There are fellowship and outreach opportunities during the week, as well as a Christian homeschool co-op who utilize our building for school. Battle Ground Baptist Church continues to be a light to our community and neighborhood.
Battle Ground Baptist Church also has global impacts with our missionary partners and mission opportunities.  We support 13 missionary families as well as Options360 here locally. Our church regularly sends small teams out every year to encourage and help our missionary families overseas.
Our Senior Pastor Shawn Newberry is a supporter and advocate for reaching our neighbors, our county, and the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We hope you can find a home here at Battle Ground Baptist Church and find a place that you can use the gifts God has given you to serve.