Ebenezer Baptist Church is a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

located in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia, United States, affiliated with the

Progressive National Baptist Convention The Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC), incorporated as the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., is a mainline predominantly African-American Baptist denomination emphasizing civil rights and social justice. The headquarte ...

and

American Baptist Churches USA The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a mainline/evangelical Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainl ...

. It was the church where Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

was co-pastor from 1960 until his assassination in 1968, the location of the funerals of both Dr. King and congressman

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

, and the church for which

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Raphael Warnock Raphael Gamaliel Warnock ( ; born July 23, 1969) is an American Baptist pastor and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Georgia since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he assumed office on January 20, 2021. Since 2 ...

has been pastor since 2005. It is located in the historic area now designated as the

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park covers about 35 acres (0.14 km2) and includes several sites in Atlanta, Georgia related to the life and work of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Within the park is his boyhood h ...

History

The church was founded in 1886 by Pastor John A. Parker and eight people.Finkelman, Paul; Wintz, Cary D. (2009). ''Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present: From the Age of Segregation to the Twenty-first Century Five-volume Set'', Oxford University Press, USA. p. 119. The church's name derives from the

Books of Samuel The Book of Samuel (, ''Sefer Shmuel'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the narrative history of Ancient Israel called the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books (Josh ...

, where the Samuel names a place " Ebenezer", meaning "stone of help", to commemorate God helping the Israelites defeat the Philistines. Adam Daniel Williams (maternal grandfather of Martin Luther King Jr.) became pastor in 1894, and the church had only 13 members. It grew to 400 members by 1903 and in 1913, the church had 750 people. In 1922, the building was dedicated. In 1927, Martin Luther King Sr. became assistant pastor, with his father-in-law. He later became the senior pastor when Rev. Williams died in 1931. In 1960,

became co-pastor of the church with his father until his assassination in 1968. In 1999, a new 1,700-seat church building called the Horizon Sanctuary was inaugurated within the

. Since 2005, U.S. Senator

has been the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church; he is the fifth person to serve as Ebenezer's senior pastor since its founding. On January 30, 2020, Warnock announced his campaign for

Kelly Loeffler Kelly Lynn Loeffler (, ; born November 27, 1970) is an American businesswoman and politician who served as a United States senator for Georgia from 2020 to 2021. Loeffler was chief executive officer (CEO) of Bakkt, a subsidiary of commodity and ...

's Senate seat during the 2020 special election. In a special runoff election on January 5, 2021, Reverend Warnock defeated Loeffler receiving 51% of the popular vote. With this victory, Warnock made history by becoming the first Black senator from the state of Georgia. On December 6, 2022, Warnock made further history by becoming the first Black senator from Georgia elected to a full six-year term. The

funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. The first memorial service following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, took place the following day at the R.S. Lewis Funeral Home in Memphis, Tennessee. This was followed by two funeral services on April 9, 1968, ...

was held at the church on April 9, 1968. The funeral of Rayshard Brooks was held on June 23, 2020, at the church. The funeral of

was held on July 30, 2020, at the church.

Pastors

The pastors of Ebenezer Baptist Church since its foundation have been as follows: * 1886–1894:

The Reverend The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctly ...

John A. Parker * 1894–1931: The Reverend Adam Daniel Williams * 1931–1975: The Reverend Martin Luther King Sr.; with three co-pastors ** 1960–1968: The Reverend

Doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

as co-pastor ** 1968–1969: The Reverend

Alfred Daniel Williams King Alfred Daniel Williams King (July 30, 1930 – July 21, 1969) was an American Baptist minister and civil rights activist. He was the younger brother of Martin Luther King Jr. Early life Alfred Daniel Williams King was born July 30, 1930, i ...

** 1971–1975: The Reverend Doctor Otis Moss * 1975–2005: The Reverend Doctor Joseph L. Roberts Jr. * 2005–present:

The Honorable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

Reverend Doctor Senator

, United States Senator since 2021.

Gallery

Ebenezer-Baptist-from-pulpit.jpg, Interior of the church building in 1979 Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site August 2016 01 (Ebenezer Baptist Church Horizon Sanctuary).jpg, Horizon Sanctuary in 2016 File:Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, Ebenezer Baptist Church, 407 Auburn Avenue Northeast, Atlanta, Fulton County, GA HABS GA,61-ATLA,54- (sheet 1 of 14).tif File:Coretta Scott King by Moneta Sleet.jpg, Pulitzer Prize winning photo of

Coretta Scott King Coretta Scott King ( Scott; April 27, 1927 – January 30, 2006) was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader who was married to Martin Luther King Jr. from 1953 until his death. As an advocate for African-American equality, she ...

at the funeral of

, comforting their 5-year-old daughter, Bernice File:Martin Luther King Sr, c1977-81.jpg, Martin Luther King Sr at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in 1979 File:Ebenezer Baptist Church & Visitor Center - Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site - Atlanta - Georgia - USA (34250955346).jpg, Visitor center File:King Carter 1979.jpg, Martin Luther King Sr.,

Rosalynn Carter Eleanor Rosalynn Carter ( ; née Smith; born August 18, 1927) is an American writer and activist who served as First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981 as the wife of President Jimmy Carter. For decades, she has been a leading advocate ...

Andrew Young Andrew Jackson Young Jr. (born March 12, 1932) is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christian L ...

, and

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in 1979 File:President Bill Clinton joins hands with Dexter King and Coretta Scott King.jpg, President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

, Dexter King and Coretta Scott King at the church in 1996

References

External links

Official Website
{{Atlanta landmarks African-American history in Atlanta Baptist churches in Atlanta Sweet Auburn Religious organizations established in 1877 1877 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)