Our History:
Santa Clarita Baptist Church formed as a merge of two independent Baptist churches: First Baptist Church of Saugus and Temple Baptist Church of Canyon Country. First Baptist Church of Saugus began on November 19, 1962 under the leadership of Amos Clemmons. The church started their services with a small nucleus of believers gathering in Pastor Clemmon’s garage. A few years later in 1966, God led Therman Fuller to shepherd the congregation and begin construction on the current church’s 2 1/2 acre site in 1968. In 1972, First Baptist Church founded Canyon Country Christian Schools to provide the opportunity for Christian education in the Santa Clarita Valley. After Pastor James Reid (1976) and Pastor Bruce M. Anderson (1976), God led Bruce H. Anderson, son of Pastor Bruce Anderson to shepherd the church in January 1981.
Only one mile away from First Baptist Church of Saugus was the young and fast-growing church, Temple Baptist Church. Temple Baptist first met in the Glass Bottle Blower Association Building on January 11, 1976, under the leadership of Pastor Richard Willoughby. After Pastor Don Porter (1977), God led Pastor Donald Sewell to shepherd the church in November 1980.
Pastors Sewell and Anderson met to discuss the needs of both churches resulting in the idea of merging both churches. Through God’s sovereignty, both churches agreed to merge their congregations, and met on May 31, 1981 under a new name: The Santa Clarita Baptist Church. Don Sewell assumed the position of Senior Pastor and Bruce H. Anderson continued for a year as his associate and the school administrator.
In June 1983, God led Pastor Pete Mothershead to Santa Clarita Baptist Church as the Minister of Discipleship and Evangelism. Two years later on May 19, 1985, he became the Senior Pastor. In May, 2007, after 24 years of ministry, God led Pastor Mothershead to retire from shepherding Santa Clarita Baptist Church and travel full time with Balanced Evangelism – a ministry Pastor Mothershead started while pastoring. Currently, Pastor Scott Basolo shepherds the church. The Lord brought him here in July, 2008 to continue ministering the Word of God to Santa Clarita Baptist Church and the community of Santa Clarita.
