Alabama's oldest Baptist church was constituted by Elder John Nicholson on October 2, 1808, in the home of James Deaton in Killingsworth Cove and was named "The Flint River Baptist Church of Christ." The original building was built circa 1809 on the bank of the Flint River, 1 mile east of this site. Circa 1885, the congregation relocated to a new site, 2-1/2 miles east of the original location. Circa 1937, the present structure was built, 3-1/2 miles west of the second site. "Primitive" was added to the congregation's name after a division occurred within the Baptist family in the 1830's. Congregations that embraced new church practices such as mission boards, Sunday Schools, and musical instruments in the church were called "New School" or "Missionary" Baptist, while Flint River Baptist Church continued in the simplicity of New Testament worship and thus came to be called "Old School" or "Primitive" Baptist.