The Salem Baptist Church is a Baptist megachurch located at 752 E 114th Street in the Pullman neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The senior pastor is Charlie Dates.
| Salem Baptist Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | 752 East 114th Street Chicago, Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Baptist |
| Website | salemchicago.org |
| History | |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder(s) | James Meeks |
| Clergy | |
| Senior pastor(s) | Charlie Dates |
History
editIn 1985, James Meeks, pastor of Beth Eden Baptist Church in Chicago, shared the vision of founding a new church in a sermon.[1][2] After a meeting with 205 members that same day, the church was founded.[3]
The new congregation held its first services January 20, 1985 at 8201 South Jeffrey Boulevard and remained at this location for five-years.[4][5]
In 2004, it had 17,000 members. [6]
On January 8, 2023, after 38 years of service Pastor Meeks retired, Charlie Dates succeeded him as senior pastor.[7]
House of Hope
editIn 2005, it dedicated the House of Hope, a new building including a 10,000-seat auditorium.[8] The venue has 203,000 sq ft (19,000 m2) of usable space.[9][10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Monica Davey, AT THE CROSSROADS: A NEIGHBORHOOD, A CHURCH AND A PASTOR, chicagotribune.com, USA, April 6, 1999
- ^ Randall Herbert Balmer, Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism: Revised and expanded edition, Baylor University Press, USA, 2004, p. 444
- ^ Monica Davey, AT THE CROSSROADS: A NEIGHBORHOOD, A CHURCH AND A PASTOR, chicagotribune.com, USA, April 6, 1999
- ^ Monica Davey, AT THE CROSSROADS: A NEIGHBORHOOD, A CHURCH AND A PASTOR, chicagotribune.com, USA, April 6, 1999
- ^ Bob Smietana, MegaShepherd, christianitytoday.com, USA, February 1, 2004
- ^ Bob Smietana, MegaShepherd, christianitytoday.com, USA, February 1, 2004
- ^ Jeramie Bizzle, Rev. James Meeks, founder and senior pastor of Salem Baptist Church, retiring after 38 years of ministry, cbsnews.com, USA, January 9, 2023
- ^ Manya A. Brachear, Meeks' mega-church ready for its debut, chicagotribune.com, USA, July 1, 2005
- ^ "Chicago megachurch opens doors for 10,000". USA Today. Associated Press. July 4, 2005. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
- ^ Bill J. Leonard, Baptists in America, Columbia University Press, USA, 2005, p. 2
External links
edit
 | This article about a Christian organization is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
  | This article about a church or other Christian place of worship in Illinois is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |