In 1843, Isaac Reed, assisted by Lemuel Herrin, led the organization of Old Bethel Church at Reed Settlement about two miles west of Clayton, with a membership composed of White settlers and their Black slaves. After the Civil War, the White members abandoned the church house at Reed Settlement, built a new one at Clayton, and continued under the name Bethel. In 1848, Rev. Isaac Reed, Sr. was killed by Indians and buried on the old church grounds. In 1886, the East Texas Bethel Association was organized at Old Bethel Baptist Church under the leadership of moderator C.M. Butler, making Old Bethel the mother of the organization. The church has had a total of 29 pastors. In 2017, Pastor W.L. Luckey relocated the church out of the woods to a location on Hwy 315 in Clayton, Texas, where Old Bethel Church continues to worship.