We are a small church with a huge heart.
Our story goes back as far as the mid-sixties at a time when new churches were moving beyond urban centers and popping up in suburbia as so much of the population was moving and growing their families.
The Thurston family of Millington had a dream to start a new church in the Bernardsville/Basking Ridge area. Madison Baptist Church came to the rescue to offer their support and one of their members, Rev. James Strange, an outstanding doctoral student at Drew University, to be the first pastor of this new upstart church.
After meeting in homes, a Presbyterian chapel, and even a Masonic lodge, and after a few name changes, the church eventually purchased a piece of property on Mt. Airy Road in Basking Ridge and settled on the name Somerset Hills Baptist Church. It didn’t take long before these pioneer Baptists broke ground and constructed the sanctuary building in 1984 and the education building in 1989.
"We're not afraid to attempt great things for God. And, we love making new friends..."
This church has been truly blessed by her pastors, Rev. Strange, Dr. Bennett F. Hall, Dr. John Whitt, Dr. Charles Long, and Rev. Ted Harvey. Since about 1980, SHBC has only had two pastors. The long tenure of the church’s pastors speaks to the godly character and nature of the congregation. This church has always had a passionate heart for missions and for raising up disciples of Christ.
We have seen literally hundreds of people come through our doors, serve the cause of Christ, grow greatly in their faith and then be sent on to a new mission field. We are a small church with a huge heart. We’re not afraid to attempt great things for God. And we love making new friends... so come worship with us, join a Grow Group and serve God with us! You’ll be happy you did.