Richmond's second Baptist congregation became Second Baptist Church in 1820. Sixteen members of First Baptist Church withdrew to form a new church which conducted a Sunday School and supported other Christian concerns. Famed Luther Rice was among those who led in the formation of the church on July 12, 1820.
Second Baptist Church has been a seedbed for Virginia Baptist Work. The First meeting of what is now the Baptist General Association of Virginia was held in the church in 1823. The state Baptist paper, the Religious Herald, was established by a Second Church member, William Crane, in 1828. During the meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia in 1820, held in Second Church, an Education Committee was formed which led to the opening of what became the University of Richmond.
