In 1751 Mr John Tennett, from the Edinburgh Presbytery was ordained to the pastoral oversight of the Secession Synod congregation in the parish of Ballyrashane. The first church building for this congregation was erected at Carnaboy on the Coleraine/Bushmills road: only a few stones of this building now remain. At that time the congregation was known as Carnaboy.

In 1832 the congregation moved to the present site at Ballywatt and became known locally as ‘Ballywatt’ although this was not its official name until 1900.

The first building on the present site was opened on 6th May 1832, the total cost being £590. This building was 54 feet long and 34 feet wide with the pulpit in the centre of the wall opposite the entrance doors: it had a gallery round three sides, supported by cast metal pillars and could seat 600. It continued in use until the early 1890s when, after considerable debate, the congregation decided to demolish it and replace it with a new building on the same site. The new church building was erected in 1894/95 by R. Young of Ballymoney, to the design of the architect, Vincent Craig. It was built of local black basalt with the vivid red Scotch sandstone which Craig liked, and the roof tiled with red Ruabon Terra Cotta tiles.

Opened on 13th October, 1895 by the Rt. Rev. Dr. George Buick, Moderator of the General Assembly, and minister of Cuningham Memorial Church, Cullybackey; it cost £2,400. This building, and the nearby Moore Memorial Hall, erected by the congregation in 1910/11 (also designed by Craig) form a pleasing and distinctive group amid the green fields of the surrounding countryside.

The exterior of the Church building is attractive and the interior is also notable for its splendid double-braced collar beam roof and gallery rose window, as well as for the four beautiful stained glass windows at the front.

At the beginning of March, 1991 we began the first major refurbishment since this building was erected. This time the contractor was the firm of J. S. Dunlop (Ballymoney) and the architect, Mr W. Hunter (R. Robinson & Sons, Ballymoney) The complete interior was renovated and the roof repaired. In total this work cost more than one hundred times more than the building originally cost to build.

In recent yearsw built an extension onto the Moore Memorial Hall which will provided more space for the various organisations which make use of this hall (including the BB) and greatly improve kitchen and toilet facilities.

We are conscious of what we have been given the opportunity to do with the buildings we received – but we are conscious also that there is always much building to do in the work of God’s kingdom. As a congregation we work hard to improve our physical facilities and continue to build the kingdom of Christ in our neighbourhood so that, in the years to come, Ballywatt Church will always be a place of worship, of service and of witness.