While worshipping in the tent, Bishop Lucas administered his first baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in Scottdale, Georgia. He used a dammed-up creek for this service. The lookers on were so amazed with this new way of baptizing—in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Fourteen (14) souls were baptized that day in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The few saints praised the Lord in that tent for about one year and worked to raise enough money to purchase the land on which to construct a building. They moved into the basement of the building in 1953. In April of 1954, the upper sanctuary was complete, and the church moved in. Our Bishop continued to preach the Word of God and the Lord kept adding members to the church.

We eventually outgrew our first building. In 1971, the old structure was renovated to accommodate more members. After about ten (10) years, this building could no longer accommodate the larger membership. Under the dynamic leadership of our Bishop Lucas, the saints made preparations for the third expansion of the sanctuary. Next, we added the A. B. Lucas Dining Hall, and in l993, the balcony was added for additional seating.

Our Bishop received a "VISION" of multitudes joining the True Church Family. Moving with the Wisdom of God, he made plans to accommodate such a substantially increased membership. However, the Lord called our Great Bishop Lucas home (March, 1994) before he could make his vision a reality. The task fell to those who remained to realize and complete that vision. His works, however, proves that he had an ideal vision for the work of the ministry. As with many other patriarchs of the Bible, God had a man waiting in the wings to assume the reigns of leadership. Elder B. J. Lawson, then Chairman of the Board of Elders, was voted by the Board of Elders as the new General Overseer and Presiding Bishop. Among his long tenure with the True Church, Bishop Lawson was admired for his ability to start works and to maintain the membership.

Baptisms were held frequently, and we began making plans for the final expansion of the church, initially revealed by Bishop Lucas. The congregation once again worked together to raise enough funds to enlarge our sanctuary one last time, bringing its seating capacity to 744. In August 1997, we had sufficient funds to commence the renovation. However, just a few weeks before the new building was to be completed, a devastating fire destroyed it on September 8, 1998, consuming everything within.

Despite this setback, the power of God was not to be thwarted. We relocated our Sunday services to Robert Shaw Elementary School. Members from across the congregation began making donations to help rebuild our headquarters. A few months later, we started holding services in the dining hall, accommodating the growing number of attendees by hosting two services on Sunday mornings. We secured a loan from the bank, and reconstruction progress accelerated.

In August 2001, Bishop Lawson became the pastor of the Lucas Temple True Church, with Elder Jeffries serving as assistant pastor and Elder Battle also assisting. Under the leadership of Deacon Edward James Robinson, along with the help of contractors and inspectors, the church was finally approved and dedicated in November 2001.

Following the sudden passing of the late Bishop B. J. Lawson, Elder Jeffries was appointed Bishop and General Overseer of the True Church of God, Inc. during the fifth Sunday meeting in December 2006. At this time, Bishop Jeffries announced his commitment to continue teaching and preaching the true word of God, just as the three Bishops before him did. On July 20, 2025, Elder Vista Jeffries was appointed as presiding Bishop due to Bishop Oprie Jeffries' health issues. They are now working closely together.

Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory.