Originally part of a white Baptist Church, First Missionary Baptist Church was organized in 1853 and held separate worship services in the evening. Following the end of the Civil War in 1866, members wanted a separate and autonomous congregation for empowering and uplifting their community. Under the leadership of the first pastor, Reverend Jacob Wade, the congregation worshiped in a “bush harbor” until a sanctuary was constructed. The current sanctuary is the third house of worship for the congregation. In 1900, after ten years of construction, the congregation completed its permanent building, a Queen Anne-style structure originally known as the First African Baptist Church of Thomasville. In the 1960s and 1970s, the church served as a headquarters for the local civil rights movement in Thomasville. Most notably, the pastor filed a lawsuit that led to the creation of majority-minority districts, allowing Black residents to have a voice in local politics.

The congregation continues to ensure Black residents have a voice in civic issues in Thomasville. The church hosted design charrettes for the city’s comprehensive planning process and convened state and local representatives to discuss the impact of federal funding cuts on local non-profits, which helped restore funding for youth summer programs. The congregation serves as a satellite site for food distribution and as a warming center. They have hosted a popular college fair for the past 10 years, and partner with local health and education organizations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a local hospital used the church as a vaccination site.

In 2024, a Historic Structures Report revealed an unanticipated structural emergency and life-safety hazard. Without intervention, the west wall is at risk of collapsing onto the adjacent highway.

An Intervention Fund grant of $43,245 awarded in 2026 will help fund construction documents and project management costs to stabilize the building’s west wall. This will help the congregation proceed with the capital work, which is funded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preserving Black Churches program, allowing the congregation to address the most immediate safety risk to the public while they raise funds to complete other building repairs.