History

In the mid-1970s, a dream began to take shape in the minds of several members of North Trenholm Baptist Church. Recognizing the need to plant a new congregation in Northeast Columbia and anticipating the growth of this area, that congregation purchased 38 acres of land on Polo Road in 1977. Fifteen of these acres were later designated as the mission site and deeded to Spring Valley Baptist Church. On October 4, 1978, the mission began meeting at Lonnie B. Nelson Elementary School with seven Sunday School classes and a nursery next door to the school.

As the young congregation outgrew those facilities, it moved to Spring Valley High School. The first pastor, H. Wilson Nelson, was called in July 1980, and in November of that year, the mission was constituted as Spring Valley Baptist Church with a resident membership of 112. Those early years saw growth not only in membership but also in ministry. The first building program provided the multi-use building (sanctuary/fellowship hall and classroom space). Staff in education and youth were added, and the first full-time Minister of Music joined the staff in 1987.

Our Weekday Early Education began as a Mother's Morning Out program in the early 1980s. It is now a full program for more than 100 preschoolers and is a ministry of the church that reaches many families.

A second building program, providing additional educational space, was completed in October 1986.

The resignation of the pastor in June 1987 began a long interim period. Dr. Robert Winburn was called in January 1989. Under the staff's leadership, the church continued to enlarge and extend its ministry. Dual worship services and dual Sunday Schools were begun in 1991 to provide appropriate space for the growing congregation.

A longtime dream of the congregation was realized in November 1995, when the first worship service was held in the current Worship Center. In 2000, adult space was added under the Worship Center. In January 2010, a new educational building was completed.

After 33 years of faithful ministry, Dr. Robert Winburn retired as the pastor. While Dr. Jerry Sosebee served as the interim pastor, the pastor search team prayed and worked diligently to identify the next man God would call to shepherd Spring Valley. Blake Jenkins was called to serve as the next pastor of Spring Valley in December 2022.

Spring Valley Baptist Church cooperates with the Columbia Metro Baptist Association, the South Carolina Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention.

Mission activities have been at the heart of our church. Adults and youth have participated in mission trips from Boston to St. Petersburg, coastal South Carolina to Minnesota, as well as Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala, and Utah. Giving to missions has also been a priority. In May 1998, our church was recognized for giving more than one million dollars to the Cooperative Program. This achievement was reached faster than any church in the state of South Carolina had reached this level of giving. In October 2006, we received recognition again for our gifts to the Cooperative Program. This time we reached the two-million-dollar level of giving faster than any church in South Carolina. To date, our church has given over four million dollars to the Cooperative Program.

Spring Valley Baptist Church was begun intentionally to spread the Good News about Jesus Christ in Northeast Columbia. Since its inception, it has grown steadily both in numbers and in spirituality. We feel that the Lord has blessed us as we have worked and worshipped together. The Lord led in the founding of the mission and continues to lead as we grow as a church.