Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church

407 Auburn Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30312 

Built 1886/1914 

Close to a decade after Reconstruction ended, in 1886, Rev. John A. Parker and 13 supporters established Ebenezer Baptist Church on Airline Street in Downtown Atlanta. In 1914, under the leadership of Rev. Adam Daniel Williams, Martin Luther King Jr.’s grandfather, the church moved to its historic 407 Auburn Ave. location. After Williams’ death in 1931, Martin Luther King, Sr. took over and led the church as senior pastor for more than 40 years. King Sr. co-pastored with his son, Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. until King Jr.’s assassination in 1968. Other notable pastors from Ebenezer Baptist church include Dr. Joseph L. Roberts, Jr., who was a mentor to many Atlanta pastors, and Sen. Raphael Warnock, the church’s fifth senior pastor, and the first Black senator from Georgia. In 1999, Ebenezer Baptist Church moved its worship services from the Auburn Avenue location to a new 1,600 seat sanctuary across the street. Two years later, the National Park Service began renovating and preserving the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, which is now a part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park.