Founded in 1886 by Pastor John A. Parker and eight other people, Ebenezer Baptist Church is an evangelical Christian Baptist church, African American Heritage Site, and tourist attraction located in Atlanta, Georgia. By 1913 the church had 750 members, but it wasn’t till 1960, when a young Martin Luther King Jr. became co-pastor that it gained international notoriety. The church’s mission for racial equality however did not start with Dr. King. It was as early as the 1920s that Ebenezer Baptist Church made equal rights for all men part of its mission, a mission that unfortunately still continues to be relevant today.
In 2001 the National Park Service began the first of two phases of restoration of historic Church. The funding for Phase I alone was a combination of private and public donations totaling more than $1,885,000. The second phase of restoration raised the cost to more than two million dollars but restored the face of the church to resemble that of its 1960s glory and repair many of the historical features that make it a centerpiece of the “Sweet Auburn” Neighborhood.
Ebenezer Baptist Church is an evangelical Christian Baptist church affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention. Though it is a functioning church and serves the nearby religious community, Ebenezer Baptist Church is partially operated and maintained by the National Park Service.
Ebenezer Baptist Church Facts
- The childhood baptism and untimely funeral of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were both held in the church.
- John A. Parker, the founder of the church, was born into slavery.
- Martin Luther King Sr. became assistant pastor in 1927.
- Martin Luther King Jr. was co-pastor from 1960 untill his death in 1968.
- Ebenezer Baptist Church mailing address is: 450 Auburn Avenue, NE Atlanta, GA 30312.
