June 17, 1956 - Jerry Falwell Establishes Thomas Road Baptist Church

Jerry Falwell in Tallahassee, Florida, 1984. Florida Memory Project, State Archives of Florida. Public Domain. 

On June 17, 1956, Jerry Falwell founded Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia. The church began with a small congregation, but it quickly became the center of Falwell’s growing ministry. He served as pastor of Thomas Road Baptist for more than fifty years, remaining there until his death in 2007.

Falwell became one of the most recognizable evangelical leaders in America during the second half of the twentieth century. From Thomas Road Baptist Church, he expanded into radio, television, education, and political engagement. In 1971, he founded Liberty University, which grew out of the same ministry environment and eventually became one of the largest Christian universities in the world.

Falwell was also known for his public role in conservative evangelical politics, especially through the Moral Majority, which he helped found in 1979. His work connected many conservative Christians to national political debates over issues such as education, abortion, religious liberty, and the role of faith in public life.

Why It Matters

Jerry Falwell’s legacy is important because he represents a major shift in modern American evangelicalism. Thomas Road Baptist Church was not only a local congregation; it became the base for a much larger network of religious, educational, media, and political influence.

Whether admired or criticized, Falwell helped shape how many evangelicals understood their role in American culture. His ministry shows how one local church could become a national platform, and how evangelical leaders in the late twentieth century increasingly moved beyond the pulpit into universities, broadcasting, and public policy.