A Church Since 1827 on Highway 92
New Salem Baptist Church sits on a 34-acre campus off Highway 92 near Bicycle Road, just outside Griffin, Georgia. The congregation has been meeting in this part of Spalding County for nearly two centuries. It was constituted in 1827, just 51 years after the Declaration of Independence, originally as the Church of Christ at Salem. The word Baptist was not in the original name, but the founding documents described the church as Baptist from the beginning.
In the years since, the people of New Salem have moved from one meeting place to another. The first building went up on Hardy Lane, on land donated by Bob and Bera Hardy. In 1854, on the eve of the Civil War, that building was given up for use as a school. Where the congregation met during the war itself is not known. In 1866, a year after the war ended, members renamed the church The Baptist Church of Christ at New Salem and began meeting in a building along Highway 92 that doubled, for a time, as a Union Courthouse for Fayette County. The congregation relocated to the community of Rio in 1884, building on land donated by J. W. Vaughn, and at that point took the name New Salem Baptist Church. The Rio building was a wooden structure; in 1956 it was eaten by termites and replaced with a brick building that longtime members still remember.
That brick building was home until December 26, 2012, when a bolt of lightning struck it and it burned to the ground. The loss led directly to the present campus. Ground was broken on Highway 92 in February 2015, and the new facility was occupied in January 2016. A banner hung after the fire summed up the congregation's spirit: "The building burned down but our Church is still on fire." The church's motto, carried on the front of the church's web presence today, is "Serving God By Serving Others."
Sunday at New Salem
Worship on Sunday happens twice in the morning. Morning Worship is held at 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM, with Sunday School for all ages running alongside at 9:15 AM and 10:45 AM. During the second morning service, Wee Worship and Kids Worship give younger children a teaching time of their own. Nursery care is provided for both morning hours. The evening hour begins at 6:00 PM, with an Evening Worship Service and the New Salem Children's Ministry, which meets every Sunday except the last Sunday of the month. Nursery is available during that service as well.
For those who cannot attend in person, services are livestreamed on YouTube, and recent services are posted on the church's YouTube channel. Tithes and offerings can be given online through the church's giving page, and a calendar of everything happening on the campus is available on the events page.
Wednesday Nights Around the Table
Wednesday at New Salem is built around a meal. Dinner is served at 6:00 PM, with the cost covered by donations, and families are encouraged to stay for the teaching hour that follows. At 7:00 PM three things happen at once: Children's Ministry for ages three through five and Kindergarten through fifth grade, Student Ministry for grades six through twelve, and Adult Bible Study, which works through the Bible one book at a time. Nursery is provided during the 7:00 PM hour as well. A recent Wednesday menu included meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, butter beans, tomato and cucumber salad, and cornbread.
Children, Students, and Young Adults
Children are described as "a very important part of the New Salem Family." The children's work includes Sunday School classes for all ages, a nursery, Kid's Worship (children's church), Vacation Bible School, fall festivals, and revivals. Children's Pastor Mike Poole, who grew up in Macon, accepted Christ in July 2012 and answered the call to ministry in May 2015; he was ordained in March 2017 and has served in the children's and youth departments.
Middle and high schoolers, grades six through twelve, make up the Resolve Student Ministry. On Sunday mornings they have Sunday School at 9:15, and Wednesday nights bring their own gathering with teaching and worship. Students take part in service projects and mission trips, including an annual trip to Oneida, Tennessee, with youth fundraisers such as a car wash supporting the work. Student Pastor Donnie Tallman and Student Director Kaley Wilder share in leading this ministry. Kaley grew up in Griffin, has attended New Salem since 2008, and stepped into the Student Director role in May 2026. Donnie and his wife Tammy also facilitate the Stepping Stones to Recovery through Christ program, a 12-step recovery ministry that pairs recovery work with Christian discipleship.
For college-aged and other young adults, Wholeheart Ministries, the church's young adult ministry, meets for Sunday School at 9:15 on Sunday mornings. The young adults page points to Matthew 22:37-38, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind," as the framing verse for the group.
Women, Men, and Sunshine Ladies
Women of New Salem gathers for encouragement, fellowship, prayer, Bible study, and hands-on ministry projects. The group's Facebook page keeps members posted on events like the Sisterhood Social, a fellowship night that includes a meal, games, and door prizes. Women of New Salem Bible studies have worked through series on the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-26) and 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, the "New Creature in Christ" study.
Men's Ministry is part of the church's lineup alongside the women's work. The Sunshine Ladies, a group of women who meet for a covered dish meal, Bible study, and fellowship, also meets regularly at the New Salem Event Center on Vaughn School Road.
Outdoor Ministry, F.A.I.T.H Riders, and Active Faith
New Salem's life goes well beyond the walls of the church. The Outdoor Ministry centers on the Annual 3D Archery Shoot, which is now in its eleventh year and draws archers from across the area with a free breakfast, a morning shotgun start, and prizes. Fall Archery League Nights run on Thursdays in August, with dinner at 6:00 PM and shooting at 6:30 PM. All ages and skill levels are welcome.
The F.A.I.T.H Riders motorcycle and vehicles ministry was commissioned on June 2, 2024. The group is open to anyone with an interest in motorcycles, jeeps, or cars, regardless of make or model, and riders are not required. The stated goal is to glorify God and share the gospel for Jesus Christ, with a collective promise that "No one is left behind."
Active FAITH is a walking and exercise group open to anyone and to all fitness levels; children are welcome with their parents. The group runs a Fall Fitness Challenge with a downloadable log sheet and accepts corporate sponsorships. Zumba, for women only, is a free exercise class for all skill levels, with the understanding that childcare is not provided.
Missions and Local Outreach
New Salem supports the Cooperative Program and takes part in mission trips. Recent trips have included tornado relief work in Mississippi and a service trip to Oneida, Tennessee. The missions page encourages anyone interested to talk with Pastor Mike or Pastor Kevin.
Outreach in the Griffin area takes several forms. The Brightmoor Assisted Living Ministry brings music and devotions each week to seniors at Brightmoor Assisted Living on Newnan Road, since many of them cannot attend regular services. The Medical Ministry offers consultation on medicines and side effects and checks vitals such as blood pressure and blood sugar; no diagnoses are given. GriefShare meets on Monday evenings for those walking through the loss of a loved one. The Laundromat Ministry offers free laundry, up to three loads, on a regular basis, though comforters, bedspreads, curtains, pillows, animal beds, and rugs are not included. The Prayer Tent takes the church into the community to pray with and for neighbors, with weekly locations posted through evangelizegeorgia.org. New Salem also partners with the Red Cross to host blood drives.
What New Salem Believes
New Salem teaches that the Bible is the holy, inspired, living Word of God, God-breathed, complete, and without error, the basis and proof of the church's beliefs. The church affirms one God who has made Himself known in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Human beings, created in God's image, were made perfect but brought sin into the world through their own choices. The church teaches that confessing Jesus as Lord and trusting in His finished work on the cross of Calvary is the only way to be brought back into right relationship with God, and that salvation in Christ is a beginning point, not an ending point.
New Salem practices two ordinances: Believers' Baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper. Neither is regarded as required for salvation, since salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone, but both are followed as an ongoing testimony of who Jesus is and what He has done. The congregation is Baptist in its identity and points to the Baptist Faith and Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention as its fuller statement of faith.
Staff and Leadership
Senior Pastor Mike Barnes came to New Salem in February 2010. A native of Palmetto, Georgia, he accepted Christ in 2001 and answered the call to ministry in 2003. Before New Salem he founded Rehoboth Baptist Church in Luthersville, where he served as pastor. He and his wife Stephanie have two sons, Cole and Drew.
Associate Pastor Kevin Judy met Christ in 1997 at Teamon Baptist Church, where he and his wife Janet were members until 2002. The Judys have attended New Salem since 2002, and Kevin made his call to the Gospel ministry public on Easter morning 2014. He and Janet have two sons, Jacob and Jesse.
Children's Pastor Mike Poole, Student Pastor Donnie Tallman, Worship Leader Ashley Judy, and Student Director Kaley Wilder round out the team. Ashley, who rededicated her life to Christ after joining New Salem in 2017, accepted the call to lead worship in August 2023 and directs the church's music ministry.