The records of Fountain Street Church are divided into three groups: (1) the files of the governing board, (2) the records of various pastors, and (3) the church's office files. Taken together these documents give an excellent view of the congregation's history since 1869. There is also a small series of photographs.
Fountain Street Church traces its history to the founding in 1826 of a Baptist missionary church in what would later become Grand Rapids. In 1837 the "Thomas Mission" became the First Baptist Church of Grand Rapids. By 1848 the congregation of First Baptist worshiped at a church located at Crescent and Division streets. Twenty years later the congregation moved to a small building located on the corner of Fountain and Bostwick streets.
By 1856 another group of Baptists had arrived in Grand Rapids and organized their own congregation, Second Baptist Church. The two congregations voted to merge in 1869, forming the Baptist Church of Grand Rapids under the leadership of pastor Samuel Graves.
One of the primary objectives of the newly united congregation was to erect a new church structure. In May, 1872, they began construction on a new building located at the site of the First Baptist Church's building. The lecture room was occupied in December, 1873. Construction was halted for several years thereafter because of the bankruptcy of the contractor and the failure of many to make good on their pledges due to the Panic of 1873. Construction was resumed in 1876 and the edifice was completed the next year.
The attempt to create a single Baptist congregation within the city was never wholly successful. In 1883 fifty-five members of the Baptist Church of Grand Rapids (which apparently now became known commonly as Fountain St. Baptist Church) were dismissed and formed a new Second Baptist Church. In 1885 about as many persons were dismissed to form Wealthy Avenue Baptist Church. In 1888 another group formed Calvary Church and in 1892 a fourth group left Fountain Street Church to found Berean Church.
Apparently there was little or no rancor between the mother church and the various offspring. The pastor of Fountain Street Church preached the dedication sermon at Second Baptist, Wealthy Ave., and Calvary churches. Members of Fountain Street Church contributed financially towards the construction of buildings for the Wealthy St., Calvary and Berean congregations.
In 1885 K.B. Tupper replaced Rev. Graves as pastor of Fountain Street Church. In turn he was replaced by John L. Jackson in 1890, who remained with the congregation until 1896. While Jackson offended some members by flirting with liberal ideas, his successor J. Herman Randall created intense controversy by openly rejecting belief in the literal truth of the Bible, embracing the evolutionary thesis, and preferring ethical to biblical themes in his sermons.
When Randall left Fountain Street in 1906 a bitter controversy developed within the congregation over whether his replacement should be another modernist or a more traditional Baptist. Eventually the church called A. W. Wishart, a noted proponent of the social gospel. Wishart, who remained pastor until 1933, alienated fundamentalists by his views.
In 1917 fire completely destroyed the building that had been erected in the 1870's. Services were held in the Power's Theater (later called the Midtown) until a new structure could be built. In June of 1922 construction was begun on the site of the old building, the cornerstone being laid in November of that year. The new church structure was dedicated February 3, 1924.
In 1933 Rev. Milton S. McGorrill was chosen to lead the congregation. He was succeeded in 1944 by Duncan Littlefair. During Rev. Littlefair's pastorate the church has renounced its affiliation with the American Baptist Convention and become non-denominational.
