January 13, 2025
TOWNSEND, Ga. — Shellman Bluff Baptist Church is celebrating tremendous growth, which Pastor Brad Butler attributes to the grace of God, and the generosity and enthusiasm of its members. “We are growing through word of mouth,” he says. “Members are inviting friends, family, and people in the community. They are genuinely excited about the church family.”
Marty Youngblood, a regional Pastor Wellness catalyst with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, says, “Shellman Bluff Baptist Church is a great church, and Brother Brad is a faithful servant of the Lord, who knows the heart and needs of his congregation and community well.”
In 2019, Butler accepted the position of pastor at the church. At that time, the church averaged around 70 people for Sunday service. The church hoped to expand and had plans to build a social hall. Butler recalls that the previous hall only held about 50 people and that when more than that showed up for church dinners they had to split up and meet in several rooms.
Those expansion plans were abruptly halted when the COVID pandemic hit. The church also celebrated its 75th anniversary that year, though that celebration was also postponed.
Many churches were adversely affected by COVID, and some have failed to bounce back or even ceased to exist. However, Shellman Bluff has seen its attendance nearly double since that time. Butler says that over the last 5 years, more than 60 new members have joined the congregation, most of them older adults. That reflects the population of the area, located on the Georgia coast about halfway between Savannah and Brunswick.
“It’s a vibrant, highly educated, older community,” Butler says. “Many have lived all around the world.” And that community continues to grow as people move in.
“I have baptized several adults over the age of 60, probably more total that in my previous 37 years of ministry,” says Butler, who celebrated his 42nd year as a pastor in October 2024. “At the age of 65 I fit right in.”
“The church has a passion for reaching its community with the gospel through ministries like VBS, Christian concerts, and other community events,” adds Youngblood. “At the heart of these ministries, is an army of senior adults and other faithful church members who work tirelessly to make sure everyone feels welcomed and wanted. It’s a great place to serve the Lord with gladness.”
Providentially, in 2022 the congregation voted to approve a plan to build a 6,000-square-foot Family Life Center at a cost of $1.6 million for the building and furnishings. The church broke ground on the building in January 2023, and it was dedicated in January 2024.
Now, with a weekly attendance of over 134 people, the new Family Life Center, is even more crucial to meeting the needs of the growing congregation. And, in a ceremony on Jan. 5, 2025, members of the church celebrated paying off the final debt on the building by burning the note.
“What a testimony to the goodness of God,” Butler declares, “and the faithfulness and generosity of His people here at SBBC!”
