Our Story
1929
After the stock market crash of October 1929, the west side of the French Board River became an active and growing suburb of Asheville. The Rev. Fred M. Dowell saw the need for a church in this growing community. West Asheville Baptist Church met for its first worship service on December 1, 1929. Within five months, they began meeting at 892 Haywood Road in their newly built church.
1940s
During the 1940’s, with Nane Starnes as Pastor, WABC experienced considerable growth in membership and facilities. God led the church to relocate the original building just 100 yards from its first location, and new educational wings were added. In 1947, construction began on a new Sanctuary, which opened on Sunday, September 19, 1948.
1960s
The 1950s and 1960s continued to be a time of building and growth. The church grounds were continually changing, and a sister church was started in the Emma area of Buncombe County, opening in 1960. In 1971, Rev. Nane Starnes announced his retirement, and Rev. James Hardy Johnson became the new Pastor.
1980s
By the early 1980s, much of the campus needed renovating, and a capital building program was created to fund the remodeling. On May 26, 1982, eight months into the new building program, a fire tragically destroyed the Sanctuary after lightning struck the church’s steeple. While the church was being rebuilt/renovated, West Asheville met offsite at Mount Pisgah Seventh-Day Advent Church. After many months of meeting off campus and in the small chapel below the main sanctuary, our new Worship Center was completed, and the first service was held on March 03, 1985.
1990-2000s
WABC continued to grow and reach out to the community. Dr. Johnson retired in 1996 after 24 years of service, and Rev. Ken Lewis became Pastor in May of 1998.
On February 10, 2002, WABC celebrated the exciting groundbreaking of our new Family Life Center, which provided much-needed space for the growing Children and Youth ministries. Pastor Ken remained until 2005, when God called him to plant a church in Clemson, SC.
In May 2007, WABC called Dr. Stan Welch as our sixth Pastor. Pastor Stan’s emphasis on evangelism and missions propeled our story forward. We continue to reach out into our community and worldwide with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.
