Get to know us

As a body of believers, we were first called “The Baptist Church” by a congregation that walked or rode by cart from a ten-to-twelve-mile radius to worship in the late 1800’s. Gadara Baptist Church was officially organized in 1876 and named after the strong biblical city in Israel, 6 miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee. The church “home” had been moved from an old log cabin that burned to the ground, to an old mill on “Baptism Lake” (now Lake Johnson in the Gold Head Branch State Park) to its permanent location in 1955 and has grown through several building stages, and we are looking forward to the ways God continues to grow His church at Gadara.

Our Mission

The mission of the church has been the same since the day the Jesus gave to the apostles before ascending. We are called to share the good news of Jesus Christ as we go about our lives and encourage those who accept Him to obedience in learning His commands and in the actions of their lives. In short, the mission of the church is to reach and to teach what it means to have a relationship with Jesus.

"Go ye therefore into all the world making disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them all that I have commanded you. Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

Our Vision

Gadara Baptist Church is a family for all people who are joining Christ on the journey of life, growing in depth as a unified community, and reaching others in the world around us.

Our thread - that one theme that runs through every aspect of this body of Christ - can be summed up in four words:

Loving God. Loving People.

Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Second to that commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-40)

Our Pastor

Rev. Justin Brown

Senior Pastor

Pastor Justin joined the Gadara Baptist family in July of 2024. He is a native of Keystone Heights and has been in the area his entire life. Pastor Justin was saved at Hope Baptist Church on October 31, 1999 and ordained into the ministry at Trinity Baptist Church on May 11, 2015. He and his wife, Melinda, have three kids: Grant, Annabeth, and Judah.

Email Pastor Justin