During 1956, while the idea of a Baptist fellowship was taking shape, the President of the Baptist Union of South Africa, Rev R. H Philpot, was passing through Lusaka en route to the Copperbelt province. He was happy to formally set apart the four adults and two baby girls in the presence of the Lord, to form the Lusaka Baptist Church Fellowship. This small body of God’s people did not carry on for long, however, because Charles Kidwell had to relocate to Ndola to take up a new job, and while there, he forged links with Ndola Baptist Church.
In God’s mysterious providence, after a year of being in Ndola, Charles decided to move back to Lusaka to rejoin Duly & Co. Ltd . This gave new impetus to the idea of reviving the Lusaka Baptist Church Fellowship. Soon on arrival in Lusaka, Kidwell contacted more Baptists in the City, and they commenced a midweek fellowship meeting which was held in the Kidwell’s spacious lounge. Sunday services were held in the Gilbert Reiny School ( Lusaka Boys school) hall.
The fellowship decided to ask Ndola Baptist Church to provide some oversight. With LBC established in Lusaka, it was not uncommon for believers who were relocating to Lusaka, from elsewhere in Zambia and indeed the world, to make LBC their home. During the year 1958, the Lusaka Baptist Fellowship grew sufficiently to invite Derek Harris and his wife Barbara to be their first pastoral couple; which invitation they accepted. Derek’s ministry at Lusaka Baptist Church was an exciting one as the work grew with a number of baptisms. From a beginning of 15 people who met in a school hall, the number grew to a membership of 50, meeting in their own church hall. On July 2nd, 1960, forty two of these persons covenanted together to form the Lusaka Baptist Church.
The first services were held in the Lusaka Boy’s School, Rennie Road, Lusaka, in April, 1958.
The Church was formed on July 2nd, 1960, with 42 persons as foundation members, (40 of these transferring from the Mother Church of Ndola, viz: Ndola Baptist Church, and 2 from the Central Baptist Church, Salisbury).