Fourth Baptist Church was organized by missionaries of the Christian church in 1890 near the Portsmouth (Virginia) waterfront area. On the fourth Sunday in May, the church was recognized and set apart as an independent body. Part-time pastors led the congregation until 1916, when the Rev. S. L. Scott, Sr. was selected as the first full-time pastor. The first building was bought on Race Street, followed by a new church built on South Street. The church membership continued to grow making it necessary to secure a larger edifice.

In May 1962, the congregation purchased the former South Street Baptist church on the corner of Effingham and South Streets. Through the years, Fourth Baptist Church opened its doors to community services and programs, holding monthly meetings for the NAACP and housing the Miller Day Nursery. Two years after renovations to the rear and the main auditorium in 1990, the church was destroyed by fire. Although services were temporarily held at the Masonic Temple on Effingham Street, ground breaking for the new 30,070 sq. ft. edifice began in August 1992. The pastor and congregation marched into the present church on May 5, 1994. In the 88th year history of the church, we have only had two other pastors; Dr. S. L. Scott, Jr., who served for 37 years, and the Reverend Dr. Charles W. Beamon, who was called to pastor the church in January 1996.