The Virginia Baptist Historical Society (VBHS) celebrated its 150th anniversary June 4 at River Road Church, Baptist, gathering members, church leaders, historians, and friends to reflect on the Society’s legacy and the enduring importance of religious liberty in Baptist life.

Throughout the evening, speakers highlighted the role Virginia Baptists have played in advancing religious freedom and preserving a historical record that continues to inform both the present and the future.

Opening the meeting, VBHS President Joe Lewis quoted historian David McCullough: “History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.” Lewis noted that those gathered were “the very people who ensure that our Virginia Baptist heritage is never forgotten.”

Daniel Glaze, pastor of River Road Church, Baptist, welcomed attendees and emphasized the connection between history and discipleship. “We share this conviction—the conviction that memory is a spiritual act,” Glaze said. “That knowing where we’ve come from shapes who we are called to be.”

Wayne Faison, BGAV’s executive director, presented a plaque recognizing the Society’s 150 years of service and thanked VBHS for preserving the stories and convictions that have shaped Baptist life in Virginia. He emphasized the importance of curating today’s history for future generations.

BGAV President Chief Stephen R. Adkins of the Chickahominy Indian Tribe reflected on how resources preserved by the VBHS aided his tribe’s pursuit of federal recognition and underscored the continuing importance of the Baptist commitment to religious freedom.

Tracing key milestones in Virginia Baptists’ advocacy for religious liberty, Adkins encouraged attendees to carry that legacy forward. He noted that the work preserved by the Society can help churches and communities continue to defend religious freedom and push back against Christian nationalism.

Nathan L. Taylor, executive director of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, reflected on the organization’s founding in 1876 and highlighted several milestones connecting the Society’s history to the broader Baptist story in Virginia.

Taylor announced that the University of Richmond has committed to a long-awaited renovation of the Society’s space, strengthening support for its collections and researchers as the organization prepares for its next 150 years of service.

He also reflected on the unfinished nature of religious liberty, noting that while early Baptists helped establish important protections for freedom of conscience, the work of ensuring freedom for all people continues.

“As appropriate as it is to celebrate the gifts of the early dissenter generations who collaborated with Madison and Jefferson to achieve the critical early framework for religious liberty and disestablishment,” Taylor said, “we must always remember that there can only be full religious freedom when everyone is free.”

The meeting concluded with a keynote address by J. Brent Walker, executive director emeritus of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. Walker stepped in after scheduled speaker Melissa Rogers was unable to attend because of illness.

Speaking on the theme, “What Baptists Got Right at the Founding and Why It Matters Today,” Walker argued that the historic Baptist commitment to religious liberty and church-state separation remains one of the denomination’s most significant contributions to American public life.

Drawing on the examples of Thomas Helwys, Roger Williams, John Leland, and James Madison, Walker traced the development of religious liberty principles that eventually found expression in the First Amendment. He also warned against the growing influence of Christian nationalism, describing it as a movement that seeks to merge American and Christian identities in ways that threaten both religious liberty and democratic institutions.

During the business session, members elected Dennis Sacrey of Fredericksburg Baptist Church as president, with Bert Browning and Vivian Clingenpeel of River Road Church, Baptist, and Tim Madison of Emmaus Baptist Church in Providence Forge elected as vice presidents. Members also elected Robert Ryland of The Church at Clarendon, Browning, Sacrey, Rob Brown of Richmond’s First Baptist Church, and Valerie Carter Smith of Mount Tabor Baptist Church to the Executive Committee.

Founded in 1876, the Virginia Baptist Historical Society is one of the oldest Baptist historical organizations in the United States. Through its longstanding partnership with the University of Richmond, the Society preserves and shares the stories that have shaped Baptist life in Virginia for 150 years.

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