Hayes Barton Baptist Church

Hayes Barton Baptist Church was chartered in 1926.^[1] It was built in the Hayes Barton neighborhood at the main intersection of Five Points.^[1] Historically, the church was a white congregation during the Jim Crow era.^[2]

A temporary wooden church was first constructed in 1926 and the first service was held on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1926.^[3] The structure was torn down in 1927 and construction began on a Classical brick church, including classrooms, an office space, a kitchen, and a 850-seat sanctuary.^[3] An educational building, including an 140-seat chapel, was built in 1953.^[3] On September 5, 1962, the sanctuary and a large portion of the church were destroyed by a fire.^[3] The current Colonial Georgian-style church was completed on January 3, 1965.^[3]

An affluent congregation, the church historically was a strong financial supporter of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.^[1] As the SBC became more conservative, the congregation considered cutting it's ties with the convention and becoming exclusively Cooperative Baptist but decided to align with elements of both as a "moderate" Baptist church.^[1] Hayes Barton is affiliated with the Raleigh Baptist Association, theCooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, the Baptist State Convention of NC, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. ^[4]

In the 1970s, the church changed its constitution to include women in the diaconate.^[1] The church later ordained women pastors.^[5]

In 2019, the church demolished three houses that it owned along White Oak Road to expand their parking lots. The congregation turned another three houses owned by the church into affordable housing.^[6]