Pastor  Melton W. Johnson is a native of Houston, Texas and is married to the former Margaree Pearson of Sumter, South Carolina.  He is the son of Reverend and Mrs. M. L. Johnson. 

Pastor Johnson is a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina with a Master's of Divinity Degree and a graduate of Campbellsville College in Campbellsville, Kentucky with a BS in Business Administration.

The Pastor's objective is to move us "From Maintenance to Ministry:  Preparing the Next Generation"          (I Corinthians 3:5-10)  When asked how he plans to do this, the pastor said, "By developing a well rounded Christian program with Baptist Doctrine that will contribute to the spiritual growth and wholeness of the Church by Proclaiming God's word with reverence, clarity, vigor and compassion."

Pastor Johnson brings to First Baptist Church 20 years of pastoral experience,  pervious Pastorates in North Carolina and Kentucky.

They accepted the call to the First Baptist Church in Salem in December 2004 and started serving as the 15th Pastor of Historical First Baptist Church in Salem, Virginia on March 6, 2005.