History

The bedrock for mission partnership among Southern Baptists is the local association. The history of our Convention is that local churches partnered for form local associations for missions and then those local associations joined together to form State Conventions. The first Baptist Association formed in 1707 in Philadelphia. The State Conventions then partnered for missions to form the largest Baptist missionary sending enterprise known today as the Southern Baptist Convention. When we partner together we are able to accomplish so much more than individually.

2024 marks the 150th anniversary of the Waccamaw Baptist Association. The history of the Waccamaw Baptist Association comes directly out of association missionary work. As early as 1833 missionaries from the Cape Fear Baptist Association in NC and the Welsh Neck Baptist Association in SC were in Horry County starting new churches. In 1874 those new churches joined together and formed the Waccamaw Baptist Association. Records reveal that in 1879 26 churches were members with 13 churches today from that original 26 that are still members. In 1911, the Carolina Association was formed and 16 Waccamaw Association Churches moved their membership to the Carolina Association.

The DNA of the WBA is missions. Our reason for existence is to partner together for missions both locally and abroad. The Waccamaw Association was one of the first in SC to engage in a full time Association Mission Program. On March 1, 1947, W.E. Maring was elected to the first full time Association Missionary, serving until 1950. On November 15, 1900 a resolution was passed in support of foreign missions at an associational meeting. It stated:

“Resolved, that we, the pastors and delegated of the Waccamaw Association endorse most heartily the work of Foreign Missions. Resolve further, that we increase our contributions, pray more earnestly and do all we can to promote this our Lord’s command.”

With the continued growth in the Greater Pee Dee and Waccamaw Neck Coastal Region it is imperative that every Waccamaw Baptist Association church remember its missionary heritage and continually focus on missions locally and abroad with an emphasis on planting new churches to reach the lost.