History of Fifth Avenue Baptist Church 

DESOTO BAPTIST CHURCH 1881-1886

SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH 1887-1905

FIFTH AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH 1905- TODAY

The year was 1881.  The Month was December.  The occasion was the dedication of the cornerstone of the DeSoto Baptist Church.  This event was the fulfillment of a vision of Pastor Nunnally and the people of the Rome Baptist Church, later to become First Baptist Church.  A committee had been appointed in December 1880 to confer with the Georgia Baptist Home Mission Board concerning building a mission church in the DeSoto community.  Constituting the committee were Brothers Jones, Shorter, Moseley, Glover, Wright, Harper and Ledbetter.  Through the generosity of Mr. J.A. Glover a lot was secured by March 1881.

It's known that Col. Alfred Shorter, founder of Shorter College, gave considerable financial aid.

Rev. L.R. Gwaltney was the first pastor, assuming the pulpit on April 1st 1883.  He was key in setting the theological tone not only of this church, but also very influential in the writing of the Abstract of principles with James Boyce, the first President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Gwaltney knew Boyce from their time serving in the ministry together in South Carolina. 

Dr. L.R. Gwaltney & Dr. James Boyce 

Between 1883- 1887 there were many significant developments.  In 1887 DeSoto Church became the Second Baptist Church.  Growth was rapid. In 1888 the church membership was listed as 166 with 105 scholars in Sunday school.  In 1893 Second Baptist withdrew from the Oostanaula Association to affiliate with the new Floyd County Baptist Association. 

In 1905 the Second Baptist Church changed its name to The Fifth Avenue Baptist Church.  Nearly 130 years later Fifth Avenue Baptist Church is holding true to its original vision of being a mission minded, biblically grounded church.