A family of believers, gathered above the Brazos since 1870.
You will find Chalk Bluff Baptist Church to be a loving and exciting family of believers. We value the Scriptures as living instruction and seek to grow continually deeper in our vital relationship with God.
What we’re about
We believe there are five purposes for believers and their churches which promote spiritual health, and we seek to promote them in all our activities:
- Discipleship
- Worship
- Fellowship
- Ministry
- Evangelism
Who we are
Serving the Chalk Bluff, Lacy Lakeview, Elm Mott, and Gholson communities.
Our worship is blended and heartfelt — vocals and choir, piano and guitar, beloved hymns alongside newer songs, and Biblical-based preaching in plain language.
Chalk Bluff Baptist Church is located right off FM 933 (Gholson Road), north of Waco. The quiet suburban community of Chalk Bluff consists of around 1,200 households. It takes its name from the Austin chalk prevalent in the terrain overlooking the nearby Brazos River. Waco Regional Airport, Baylor University, Texas State Technical College, McLennan Community College, and Connally ISD are all within a ten-mile radius, along with a variety of shopping, dining, local libraries, and public parks.
From the friendly greeting the moment you walk in to the special parting song — we hope you feel welcomed and loved.
Our history
Chalk Bluff Baptist Church is one of the oldest continuously worshiping Baptist congregations in McLennan County — and the story is better than a founding date.
In 1870, thirteen members of the White Rock community saw the need for a Baptist church in the vicinity and founded White Rock Baptist Church. The congregation was received into the Waco Baptist Association in 1871 and met at the Union Grove School until 1878, when it raised its own building.
In 1907, a motion was made to dissolve the church. In 1908, the congregation rescinded it — and instead of ending, began again. Materials from the White Rock building were carried to a new church home at Chalk Bluff, on Gholson Road, where we have gathered ever since, and the congregation took the name Chalk Bluff Baptist Church.
In 1934, the Chalk Bluff building burned. The congregation built its third home the same year.
In 1999, the State of Texas placed a historical marker in front of the church. It stands there today, and it reads:
“This congregation was established in 1870 as White Rock Baptist Church by members of the White Rock community who saw the need for a Baptist church in the vicinity. The church was accepted by the Waco Baptist Association in 1871, and the congregation met at the Union Grove School until 1878. By May of that year the group had erected its own structure. A motion to dissolve the church was made in 1907, then rescinded in 1908. Materials from the White Rock structure were used in the construction of a new church home at Chalk Bluff. The new edifice was used until it burned in 1934 and a third building was erected. With more than 300 active members in 1999, the Chalk Bluff Baptist Church continues to serve the Waco area with programs of religious worship, missionary work, and community outreach.”
— Texas Historical Marker, 1999
A motion to dissolve, a fire — and more than 155 years later, we’re still here: still singing, still opening the same Bible, still serving the same community. Come read the marker for yourself; it’s right out front.
How we do life together
Every church family has its own personality. Ours has been shaped by this exact place and these exact people — a congregation of long-tenured retirees, newer families, and a growing crowd of young people, formed by the community it serves. A few things you’d notice if you spent a month with us:
- Third Sunday potluck. Once a month, the whole church shares a meal after worship. It’s the plainest picture of who we are: a community of hospitality. (Yes, you’re invited. No, you don’t have to bring anything your first time.)
- Blended worship. Vocals and choir, piano and guitar, hymns your grandmother loved and songs your kids know.
- A bi-vocational staff, on purpose. Every member of our ministry staff also holds another job, degree program, or calling alongside their role here. That keeps our ministers rooted in the same working world as everyone else.
- Five names. We believe you start feeling at home in a church when you know five people by name and five people know yours. Expect us to learn your name, and to help you learn ours.
Our family today
We are an affiliated Texas Baptist congregation — part of the Baptist General Convention of Texas — and an active member of the Waco Regional Baptist Association, partnering with churches across McLennan County — including our friends at Tri-Cities Ministries — to serve our neighbors and take the gospel to the world.
Want to know more? Read What We Believe, or Plan Your Visit.