Church History

Before it became Country Baptist in 1994, the church was named Chacon Lake Baptist Church and was founded in the summer of 1966 by Pastor John Land and his wife, Barbara. Members first gathered for worship in a church member’s house. A year later on Sunday, June 25, 1967, the first in-building service was held in the current location in Natalia, Texas.

Many Godly men have served as pastor at Chacon Lake Baptist Church throughout the years. After Pastor Land moved to Alaska, he was succeeded by Luis Vannater, Bill Patterson, Ron Cooper, and Gary Shaw. For a brief time, the church was re-named Emmanuel Bible Church.

Under Pastor Shaw’s leadership, it was learned that Country Baptist Church of Bigfoot, Texas was struggling with major facility problems. In 1990, Pastor Shaw invited Country Baptist to unite with their church family. Country gladly accepted and brought approximately fifty members to Emmanuel Bible Church as well as a new pastor, Pastor Donnie Adcox. In 1994, the name of the combined churches was changed to Country Baptist Church.

When Pastor Adcox was called away from Country, Bro. Haywood Earls became the temporary preacher. It wasn’t long before he was asked to become the full-time pastor. Bro. Earls accepted the position, and a Spirit-filled ordination service took place at Maranatha Bible Church in San Antonio. The Lord called Pastor Earls home to Heaven in 1998. During this difficult time, Maranatha Bible Church played a vital role in keeping Country afloat by supplying men to preach at Country each week.

Following many discussions among the members, a unanimous decision was made to extend a call to Bro. JD and Mrs. Brenda Sanders of Maranatha to take on the pastorate at Country Baptist Church. Bro. Sanders accepted and assumed the pastorate on March 7, 1999. Along with spiritual nourishment, Pastor Sanders’s early goals included improving the physical church structure, implementing administrative procedures, and establishing ministries to equip the saints for the work of the ministry at CBC. He and his wife, Mrs. Brenda, loved their Country family dearly. Their greatest joy was seeing people saved, hearts and lives changed, and saints grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Pastor and Mrs. Sanders served faithfully for sixteen years, and Country grew and flourished under their Godly leadership. Due to continued health struggles, the Sanders resigned from the pastorate in October of 2015.

On October 25, 2015, Assistant Pastor Rick Murphy was installed as the new Senior Pastor. He and his wife, Amada, served their church family for two years. In October of 2017, however, Rick resigned from the pastorate when life circumstances took him in a different direction.

After much prayer and consideration, Country Baptist Church voted in a new Senior Pastor on November 25, 2018. Trent and Logan Johnson from Lake Park, Georgia arrived in Lytle, Texas at the beginning of the new year, and Trent was installed as the new Senior Pastor on January 27, 2019. God used Pastor Trent to grow the church tremendously and many lives were changed and many people got saved over the 3 years he was the Pastor here. On August 8th 2021, however, Trent resigned from the pastorate when God told him to focus his efforts in another area of his life.

Doing what only God can do, He brought Country Baptist Church another pastor to replace Pastor Trent before he had even left and on August 22nd 2021 Pastor Roland DeLeon was unanimously voted in as the new full time Pastor.

Country Baptist Church is thankful for God’s abundant blessings, protection, and guidance through the years and is looking forward to what God has planned in the years to come!