Salem Church was organized in 1824. The first building was a log structure built on a five-acre plot near what is now called Salem Camp Ground spring. It is known from family records kept by the Plunkett family that Eli Bennett was one of the founders of Salem Church. He was born in 1790, in Virginia, and came to Newton County, Georgia in 1822 as a local preacher, preaching at Salem for a number of years. He was also Justice of the Peace. According to hand written conference minutes he died in the Civil War Battle of Resaca in Georgia.
Salem was in the Yellow River Mission, Athens District, South Carolina conference, which included what are now Walton, Henry, Newton, Rockdale, Fayette, and Clayton counties. The Georgia Conference did not become a separate conference until 1830.
Between 1865 and 1870 a new church building was erected. It was described as being exactly west of the present sanctuary, which would place it in Section One of the cemetery. The location of the road and the new church relative to it are not known.
The Conyers Circuit was organized about 1896. Salem Church was admitted to this circuit in 1901. The Salem Circuit was organized in 1905, with four churches: Salem, Prospect, Union, and Snapping Shoals. On the second Sunday morning in July 1946, four new Sunday school rooms (where the choir room, choir directors office, and the restrooms along the hall behind the chancel are now located) were dedicated, followed by a barbecue dinner. This annex was built at minimum cost because most of the construction was done by church members. Prior to this time the women’s class was on one side of the sanctuary; the men’s on the other side. Sunday School was held every week, even though there was a preaching service once monthly.
There was a pot-bellied stove in the center of the sanctuary for heat until the gas line was put in the 1950s. By the end of 1952, the Salem Circuit had a total membership of 501. Salem had 292, Prospect, 135; and Snapping Shoals, 73. In May of 1953, the members of Salem voted to become a station church. That became a reality on July 1. On July 5th, the occasion was celebrated with a Homecoming and Revival. The Ladies Bible Class, assisted by the Methodist Youth Fellowship, donated a new piano, which arrived that week. Previously only four services per month were held. Now they could have morning and evening services each Sunday for the 294 members. In 1956, the annex behind the sanctuary was remodeled and more Sunday school rooms were added including a kitchenette. In 1966 the front porch was added, along with central air and heat, and the sanctuary redecorated. The steeple (which is made of aluminum) wasn’t added until 1977. The Educational unit was constructed in 1977. During the period 1984-1987 the church buildings were improved by addition of siding, painting, upgrading of air conditioning and heating systems. An acoustical ceiling and new lighting were installed in the Fellowship Hall. Other improvements included the purchase of a new 15- passenger van, and a new stove, ice maker, and larger refrigerator for the kitchen. In 1995 eight acres were purchased from Salem Campground to be used for a future building. In 1998 a capital fund drive was held to build the Family Life Center (FLC). Rev. Dr. Mac Brantley joined Rev. Alan Smith (senior pastor) and Rev. Gail Seibert (Associate Pastor) in leading the ground breaking ceremonies. The $1.5M facility was completed in 2000, and dedicated July 30 of that year. The FLC is 17,890 square feet, and has a capacity of 988. The facility houses a basketball gymnasium, full stage, 7 classrooms on two levels, a commercial kitchen, the church library (which was moved from the old education/administration building), and large storage facilities. It is used often for church activities and civic events.
There is a stained glass window in the upper back of the center, which was donated by Gladys Bloodworth. Her husband, Marion, was raised in this church and volunteered as Minister of Evangelism from 1990 until his death in 1995. They had bought it from a church in Iowa (where he served until his retirement) that was being torn down, and had it in their solarium in their house in Conyers until the planning of the FLC.