Our History
The Beginning
In 1991, Church at The Mill Lake Cooley Campus began with the original name “Friendly Chapel Baptist Church” with a small group of members who saw the need to reach the local community with the gospel. They were also provided with a generous donation of approximately eight acres of property located at 2591 Ballenger Rd, Wellford, SC.
Church Membership Grew
In 2002, the church’s name was officially changed to Lake Cooley Baptist Church. The church membership grew, and in 2006, they built a new facility to support the population growth in the area. The Church at Lake Cooley experienced peak membership and attendance by 2015, and in early 2020, the church celebrated the final mortgage payment. The church expanded its missions and community outreach, including the operation of a local food pantry to reach families in need.
God Continued To Provide Through The Midst Of A Challenging Decision
Early in 2022, God presented both the challenge and the opportunity to the Church at Lake Cooley. The mission had always been clearly captured through the acrostic, GLORY: to bring God Glory by putting God first, Loving others, Opening His Holy Word, Reaching the community and the world, and allowing Him to Yield fruit.
Now, faced with an aging membership, the challenge was to fully utilize the resources that He provided for a greater Kingdom impact. The opportunity was presented to become part of Church at The Mill, which had already launched the Woodruff campus. Following initial discussions with the senior leadership of Church at The Mill, the leadership of the Church at Lake Cooley presented the opportunity to the Lake Cooley congregation. The church began prayerfully seeking the guidance and counsel of the Holy Spirit. After congregational meetings with the leadership of Church at The Mill, the Lake Cooley membership voted overwhelmingly to become the third campus of Church at The Mill.
Church At The Mill Lake Cooley Campus Launched
Dylan Baxter, the Lake Cooley Campus Pastor at Church at The Mill, has been selected to lead and preach. After renovations to the campus and the commissioning of its launch team, Church at The Mill Lake Cooley launched in May 2023.