About Plaza

Mission Statement

The mission of Plaza Baptist Church is "to know Him and to make Him known" by teaching God's word for life change; showing Jesus Christ to those in our sphere of influence by our conduct and our words; and giving of ourselves to support the church and mission efforts throughout the world.

Plaza's History

Plaza Baptist Church — a member of the Southern Baptist Convention — has a long history of delivering the powerful message of Jesus' life and teachings to the people of North Charlotte and around the world. Founded July 24, 1938 as Friendly Tabernacle Baptist Church, this body of Christians has weathered many changes — of name, of location, and of leadership — all while maintaining its focus on Biblical teaching and evangelism. The church assumed its current location at 3321 The Plaza and the Plaza Baptist Church name in September of 1949.

In 2004, Pastor Rick Miller succeeded David A. Gales, Sr. as the senior pastor of Plaza. Pastor Gales retired after leading the church for 32 years, during which his vision for worldwide missions became the centerpiece of Plaza's evangelistic outreach. Pastor Miller — with 13 years of foreign missions service under his belt — continued that missions focus with a renewed special interest in encouraging the church to be the center of local mission work.

In early 2008, Pastor Miller and his wife were called away to the next phase of their ministerial careers, serving in the Raleigh area. Plaza is blessed now to have Stephen Bounds serving as interim pastor.

The world around Plaza has changed significantly in recent years. The hip, historic arts district known today as NoDa represents a drastic transformation to this area of North Charlotte. Formerly populated by Charlotte's "down and out", the NoDa area today has seen an influx of the "in and now". This demographic turnover has renewed Charlotteans' interest in the district. And Plaza has responded in kind with a renewed interest in reaching the people of North Charlotte.

In 2006 Plaza launched a congregation-wide C.A.R.E. (Christians Actively Reaching Everyone) ministry. C.A.R.E. is focused on the discovery, development, and practical use of every Christian's aptitudes, applied to the kind of work Jesus did on Earth — simple expressions of genuine concern for your fellow man. The church also continues to maintain its vision for worldwide missions through both budgeted and individual volunteer financial giving, missions trips, and its annual missions conference.