About Us
About Shiloh P.B Church
In 1907, Little Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church was birthed from the “Withdrawal Act” of the Old Indian Creek P.B. Association. Little Shiloh, along with other area churches, established the Steadfast Indian Creek P.B. Association. God’s people have continued to praise and worship at Little Shiloh for well over a hundred years.
Elder Sandy Betts was the first pastor of Little Shiloh. Under his leadership members met once a month at different homes. Then, around 1918 the congregation purchased an acre of land from A. M. Booth for $150. The members constructed a one-room, backless pew, wood-frame building. The church was lit by three oil lamps and heated with a coal-burning stove. A nearby creek was used for baptisms. Elder Sandy Betts served faithfully until 1928.

In that same year, Elder John Betts Sr., the son of our founder, became the second pastor of Little Shiloh. He was a well-respected man of integrity in the Madison community. Many members would say that he could tell you word-for-word any verse in the Bible by memory. People called him a walking Bible. Services were held about twice a month. The other two Sundays, Elder Betts served as pastor in Burkeville, AL and Fayetteville, TN, concurrently. The church grew and many officers were installed. The first choir was formed in the 1940’s by Mother Willie Lorine Gilliam. Her daughter, Sis. Louise Gilliam was the first pianist. During this time, members sold hot dogs and sandwiches to purchase items in the church, including its first piano. In the 1960’s enough funds were created to build the present building. Members had what they called “Big Day” where people from the community would gather together, go from church to church, eat and have fun in the name of the Lord. He served as pastor for 48 years until his health began to fail.


In 1976, the Lord called Elder L. C. Rainey to become the third pastor of the church. Under his leadership, the church began having services every Sunday and more auxiliaries were added. The church continued to grow; a fellowship hall was added, a youth department was established and Sunday School and Bible Study were emphasized. The first male chorus was started and Vacation Bible School was organized. He continued to pastor until 1993.

In 1994, Elder Kenneth L. Tate was elected the fourth pastor of Little Shiloh. Elder Tate introduced many different ministries and outreach programs to the church. Under his leadership the No.1 and No.2 choirs combined into one Sanctuary Choir, he helped organize the Inspirational Choir and started the Adolescents In the Ministry(AIM) choir for the youngest children. The church was incorporated in 1995 and the amount of land owned by the church grew when the deacons and trustees purchased land from Mary M. Lanier and Susie Orr Hammonds. The inside of the church was remodeled to accommodate the growing membership, and the property was cleared of many tall trees to make the church more visible in the community. Elder Tate continued to pastor until 1998.

In 1998, after much prayer the church elected its fifth pastor, Henry P. Lacy. Elder Lacy brought years of wisdom and knew just what to administer to the flock. He was seasoned to know whether to give milk or strong meat. Under Elder Lacy the church continued to grow physically and spiritually. The church was able to burn its mortgage and add a larger vestibule and restrooms on the front. Elder Lacy actively pastored for ten years. In 2008, Elder Lacy was made Pastor Emeritus.

In 2009, we elected our sixth and present pastor, Elder Reginald A. Johnson. The son of a pastor himself, Pastor Johnson studied under Elder Lacy for many years. Pastor Johnson stands in the gap, bringing the young and young-at-heart together.

In 2012, after much prayer, it was decided by the officers and church to obtain more land and secure the future of the church for future generations. After much prayer and operating in faith, the church purchased 5.55 acres of land from Mr. Bryan Hughes in December of 2012. In 2013 the church and officers agreed to clear the land and hire Mr. Warren Jamar to accomplish this task. Afterwards, the land was maintained and kept by Mr. Boyde Allison. Over the years the church continued to seek guidance and direction from a friend of the church, Mr. Ned Jones. He ultimately would point us in the direction of Mr. Jerry Johnson and Mr. Adam Johnson (father & son) of Huntsville Design and Construction. The church stepped out on faith again and began the process of building a new sanctuary in January of 2016. The official groundbreaking ceremony would take place October of 2016 and after many, many meetings with city officials, construction started March of 2017. In October of 2017, the church voted to modify the name of the church to Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church. In March of 2018, Shiloh officially received its certificate of occupancy and continues to be ambassadors for Christ.

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