Organized with nine charter members, this congregation began on Nov. 15, 1883, as the Missionary Baptist Church of Commerce. Services were held in a Union Church building until 1883, when the first sanctuary was built. As the congregation outgrew the facility, the Women's Missionary Society began raising money for this site, and a new sanctuary was constructed in 1913. The congregation's name was changed to First Baptist in 1933. A leader in Commerce's development, the church has actively served the students of East Texas State University.