Torrance First Baptist Church has its roots in 1911 as a project of the Los Angeles City Missions Society. The earliest services began in a tent at Cabrillo and 220th Street, with an auditorium replacing the tent in 1912. With fifty members and originally known as "Community Baptist Church," TFB was the first organized church in the city of Torrance in 1914.
Original church building c. 1935
During the years from 1920-1924, the church was moved from Cabrillo to its present location on the corner of Carson and Martina Streets. Officially incorporated on August 26, 1922, the name was changed to "First Baptist Church of Torrance."
Cornerstone of present Sanctuary
The present sanctuary was dedicated in 1949 and in 1953, the original educational building currently housing our administrative offices, Children's and Student Ministries, was built. In 1956, the Fellowship Hall and Gymnasium were constructed, and in 1968, the second educational wing along Carson Street was built completing the last major construction project to our current campus.
Beginning in 1968, with the launch of a Hispanic fellowship, churches from a variety of cultures, including Chinese, Filipino and Japanese, have called this campus home. Presently, the New Covenant Korean Church meets in the Sanctuary on Sunday afternoons.
No matter what changes may take place in the Torrance area, there has never been a change in the major emphasis of the ministry of TFB. The Scriptures are still central and all we do is dedicated to the task of "helping people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ."
