In 1788, a group of Christian citizens in Wilkes County gathered in the home of Jesse Spratlin to constitute a Baptist church. First known as Hutton’s Fork Baptist Church—named for a nearby creek—it was one of the earliest Baptist congregations in the state. Although the church’s first record book (1788–1804) has been lost, we know from Georgia Baptist Association records that Jeremiah Reeves and James Spratlin represented the church at the 1788 association meeting. By the end of that year, Sardis counted 63 members, suggesting around 28 charter members at its founding.

Jesse Mercer, son of pioneering Baptist minister Silas Mercer and later namesake of Mercer University, became Sardis’s first pastor in 1789. His leadership established Sardis as an early center of Baptist life in Georgia. Sometime between 1795 and 1797, the congregation adopted its current name, Sardis Baptist Church.

The original log building stood about 100 yards east of the present sanctuary. In 1835, the congregation erected the structure that still stands today. Built 40 by 60 feet, it featured two front doors and a partition dividing men from women and children—customary at the time. Additions and modifications came over the years: a gallery for enslaved congregants in 1857, removed in 1877 after African Americans established their own churches; stoves and lights in 1871; and a baptismal pool in 1858, later replaced in 1872. The two original front doors were closed in 1914, replaced with a central entrance, and a porch was added in 1950.

Despite these changes, Sardis retains remarkable historic integrity. Its tall windows with wavy glass, high wooden ceilings, and mixed-width boards convey the “functional originality” of early Georgia churches. In the adjoining cemetery lie many prominent Georgia families, including 58 interments from the influential Callaway family.

For over 225 years, Sardis has remained a place of faith and fellowship. Today, its dedicated congregation continues to care for the building, keeping alive the history, legacy, and spirit of one of Georgia’s most significant Baptist churches.