Who We Are

Rev. Dr. William Terry Ladd, III serves as pastor of the First Baptist Church East 8th Street Chattanooga, TN. He is the 13th pastor in the 152-year history of the church and is known as a gifted preacher, teacher, and leader for the cause of Christ, social justice, and equality. A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Pastor Ladd is a graduate of Morehouse College, where he received the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics, and Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology, where he received the Master of Divinity Degree and was awarded the William Ollie and Nell Ray Key Award for Excellence in Leadership. In 2018, Pastor Ladd earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Preaching from the Associated Chicago Theological Schools, McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois.

First organized in 1866 under the leadership of Chaplain Thomas B. Van Horne and a small group of Federal Army soldiers who had served during the Civil War, First Baptist has a 150+ year history.