Our History
In the late 50s and early 60s, most of the Chinese churches in Singapore conducted their worship services in local dialects. As Singapore continued to develop and progress, and began its first steps towards independence, education also improved and was made more available to the people. Many of the younger generation Christians became Mandarin-educated and were more conversant in Mandarin. We then recognized a need to establish a church in which the service can be conducted in Mandarin rather than local dialects to cater to the younger generation of Christians in Singapore.
In 1959, the first constitution was drafted to form a new Mandarin speaking church. We decided to call ourselves Singapore Baptist Church. In 1960, Singapore Baptist Church was officially registered and recognized by the government. We held our inaugural service on 1st January 1961.
We had no church building of our own and conducted early worship services at 33B Cambridge Road, a residential house. But by 1964, it was clear that as the Church grew quickly in numbers, we needed to have our own church building. By God’s grace, there was an empty plot of land just a stone’s throw away at 1, Cambridge Road. This was just big enough to build a new home for Singapore Baptist Church.
Through God’s providence, the unwavering faith of our brothers and sisters, as well as the invaluable help from the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board, the land was finally purchased in 1967. We moved into our current building on 12th December 1969.
God’s grace and blessings continued to be abundant in our midst. In the early Seventies, as the church continued to grow in numbers, we began to also attract many new members who were English-educated. In 1973, we made a significant decision to officially conduct our worship service in both Mandarin and English simultaneously. Singapore Baptist Church then became the first bilingual Baptist church in Singapore.
By the early 80s, we again needed more space to continue God’s ministries in Sunday School, Fellowship as well as other evangelistic work. Despite economic uncertainties in Singapore during the mid-Eighties, the Lord rewarded our faith through the completion of the new Educational Building extension in June 1987.
Today, Singapore Baptist Church continues to grow from strength to strength in numbers and in spirit. We thank the Lord for every new lamb added to our midst, and continue to pray for our future development. We pledge to continue our mission to glorify God by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, holding fast to His Truth, equipping the saints, serving in unity and loving one another.
We remain strong and active partners to the Singapore Bible College, Baptist Theological Seminary and the Singapore Baptist Convention.
By His grace, we have sent and/or supported many missionaries and ministries around the world, as well as having our own members graduate from Theological Seminaries and now serving in our midst as Pastors.
As the church crosses its 50th anniversary, we look back at the last 5 decades of serving the Lord with gratitude and joy. In achieving each milestone, we give thanks and praise His Almighty name as without Him, all would not have been possible. And in difficult and tumulus times, the Lord has never forsaken us who remained faithful to Him.
May the Lord’s blessings be upon His church, and may all glory and praise be upon Him for ever and ever. Amen.