Baptist Community Church of Arco
Arco, Butte County

• Grants: 2001 (heating system replacement), 2022 (preserve church stone chimney)

Location: 402 W Grand Avenue, Arco, Idaho

Situated off the main road in Arco, Idaho, sits the Baptist Community Church. The Baptist Church is the oldest church community in both Arco and the Lost River region of Idaho. The church first began as a Sunday school in 1887 that held classes out of the home of Mrs. Steven Moe. In 1885 the church was formally organized with 10 members. A Baptist missionary minister, Reverend William H. Bowler, traveled over 60 miles from Bellevue, Idaho to preach to the small congregation and continued to serve the community until 1899. 

 Arco is the closest town to Craters of the Moon National Monument. The church, constructed in 1929, is registered in the National Register of Historic Places because of the Romanesque style and the lava rock building material. The plans were provided by the American Baptist Home Mission Society as there was not a local architect available. The interior plans were supplemented by the Boise, Idaho architectural firm of Tourtellotte and Hummel.

For more information please contact Baptist Community Church of Arco at (208) 527-8533.