History of First Baptist Church of Camarillo

First Southern Baptist Church of Camarillo was started in 1961 by members of First Southern Baptist Church of Oxnard who felt that a Southern Baptist Church was needed in Camarillo. In 1962, First Southern Baptist Church of Camarillo incorperated. The original church home was at the corner of Las Posas Road and Antonio Avenue.

In 1965, First Southern Baptist Church of Camarillo sold it's Antonio Street building to the Nazarene church and moved to it's present site at 1601 Temple Avenue. The 300 seat santuary and 2 story educational building (Holmes Hall) was constructed at the new site.

The church site was originally 8.5 acres. Part of the land was sold in the early 1970s, and the church site presently has 5.4 acres. In the late 1970s, several temporary buildings were placed on the property for adult education space.

Over the years, the church name changed from First Southern Baptist Church to Temple Avenue Baptist Church, to First Baptist Church.

In 1997, the church built a new lobby and downstairs kitchen. The old pews in the sanctuary were replaced by stackable chairs. The overall capacity of the santuary was slightly increased. More importantly, the church was now able to hold large downstair's fellowships in the worship center. The temporary adult education buildings were made permanent at this time.

First Baptist Church presently has over 18,000 square feet of worship and Sunday School space with 150 parking spaces. 3 acres of the property are presently maintained as a grassy field. While set aside for future buildings, it is presently used by the church for softball and other sports activities. This parklike setting is a rare santuary from the dense suburban development in the area.