The Summit Church began in 1961 when Sam James preached the first service at what was then the Grace Baptist Mission in Durham.
[1] Within a year, the mission grew into the new Homestead Heights Baptist Church.
Although it briefly exceeded capacity, there was little growth in the 1990s and attendance eventually declined to a steady 400 members.
In the first three years, a large influx of members eventually led to the sale of its property which was located on Holt School Road; in April 2005 the church began holding services at Riverside High School.
[1] A census of the denomination published in 2020 said that the church has a weekly attendance of 11,564 people and 12 campuses in different cities.