Read Our Story
Where there is no vision, the people perish...” -Proverbs 29:18
Olive Baptist Church was founded in 1894 out of vision when twelve people from Canoe Baptist Church in Canoe, Alabama came to Pensacola. Our church was originally found as a wooden structure on the south side of Olive Road, but in 1949, moved to the opposite side of the street.Today, Olive has grown to an average of 3,000 attendees. Despite its large size, our church still contains the spirit of a smaller church through our numerous Bible studies, small groups, and ministry opportunities.
Organization
Olive Baptist Church is pastor led, deacon served, committee organized, and church approved. It is also part of the Southern Baptist Convention. All Southern Baptist churches are autonomous but choose to work together to train and send out workers to spread the Gospel on a local, state, national, and international level.
1849: Founding & Vision
Olive Baptist Church was born from a simple but courageous vision: to establish a Baptist witness in the growing Pensacola area. That vision took shape through twelve faithful charter members who gathered in modest places like homes, schoolhouses, and borrowed spaces. They were trusting God to build what they could not yet imagine.
Under the leadership of D.M. Merritt and the church’s first pastor, Rev. A.M. Lowery, Olive was formally organized in 1897. From the beginning, Olive was shaped not by resources or comfort, but by faith.
Built in Hard Times, Rooted in Commitment
The early years of Olive Baptist were marked by hardship. Worship services were held on wooden benches, often without electricity, hymnals, or even a regular pastor. Members shared Bibles, met in sheds with dirt floors, and endured long seasons of financial struggle. Yet even in those conditions, the church grew. Offerings were small, but commitment was strong. Members gave garden produce instead of money, sold homemade ice cream to fund church needs, and walked miles to attend services. Through hurricanes, economic depression, and national uncertainty, Olive endured with faith in God.
1916: A Church That Kept Building
As the Pensacola area grew, so did Olive. After losing its first building to a hurricane in 1916, the congregation regrouped, worshiped wherever possible, and eventually rebuilt. In 1921, a new sanctuary was constructed at the corner of Olive Road and Davis Highway, a location God had quietly preserved for decades.
Known affectionately as the “Airplane Building,” this structure symbolized Olive’s steady growth and expanding ministries. Baptisms took place in nearby creeks and bays, Sunday School flourished, and outreach extended well beyond the church walls.
People Before Programs
From its earliest days, Olive Baptist Church has been defined by its people. Teachers opened their homes for classes. Women’s groups cleaned the church, arranged flowers, and led fundraising efforts. What sustained Olive was not perfection, but perseverance. Generation after generation chose faithfulness over ease.
1937: A Foundation for the Future
By 1937, Olive had grown from twelve charter members to more than ninety faithful believers, poised for the next season of expansion. What began as a small gathering in what was then known as "Tatertown" had become a lasting spiritual presence in Pensacola.
1955–1971: Serving a Larger Community
By the mid-20th century, Olive Baptist Church was entering a new season. Under the leadership of Pastor Jeff Rousseau, the church experienced its first major period of sustained growth. This era marked a shift from survival to intentionality. Facilities were improved, ministries expanded, and Olive’s presence in Pensacola became more established. The church began thinking beyond immediate needs and toward long-term impact, laying the groundwork for the explosive growth that would follow in later decades. Pastor Rousseau’s tenure helped Olive transition from a small community church into a growing congregation with vision for broader outreach.
1972–1989: Responding to New Needs
A dramatic season of growth in Olive’s history came under Pastor Jerry Passmore. During his pastorate, Olive Baptist Church experienced rapid numerical growth, large-scale facility expansion, and expanded ministry reach. This era included significant campus development, a surge in attendance and membership, and increased emphasis on evangelism, education, and media ministry.
Olive grew into one of the largest congregations in Pensacola and the state of Florida, becoming known not only for its size, but for its influence. Ministries multiplied to meet the needs of a rapidly growing congregation, and Olive’s identity as a church with regional reach was firmly established. Pastor Passmore’s leadership shaped Olive into a church that expected God to work in big ways and acted accordingly.
1990–1994: Vision for a New Century
As Olive approached its centennial,Pastor Ted Traylor led the church into a season of strategic vision and future-focused planning. This period emphasized not only continued growth, but excellence and readiness for the next generation. Olive celebrated 100 years of God’s faithfulness in 1994 with a renewed sense of mission.
This era reinforced a defining truth of Olive’s story: growth was never the goal by itself. Faithfulness was. Expansion flowed naturally from obedience. Pastor Ted Traylor is Olive's current pastor; his bold preaching, faithful sheperding, and clear leadership for well over 3 decades has seen Olive continually reach and disciple every generation.
2017: Warrington Campus
Olive's Warrington Campus launched on October 29, 2017 as a satellite campus of Olive Pensacola. The campus began in response to the vision of developing fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ in the greater Warrington area. Olive considers it a privilege to minister to the community surrounding Warrington and to serve the United State's finest military personnel.
A Living Legacy
From a one-room schoolhouse to a multi-campus church, Olive Baptist Church’s history is a story of vision sustained over time. Each generation has received the work of those before them and carried it forward. We've added new ministries and expanded reach with the goal of staying anchored to the mission.
What began with twelve faithful believers continues today as a church committed to the future, confident that the same God who guided Olive’s earliest days is still building His church.