At the corner of 16th Street and 6th Avenue North in downtown Birmingham stands one of the most recognizable houses of worship in the American South. Sixteenth Street Baptist Church carries a simple motto on its front doors: "Where Jesus Christ is the main attraction!" For more than 150 years, the congregation has poured its energy into a single calling. "When all is said and done, all that we aspire to BE and all we attempt to DO, is intended to glorify Jesus through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father," the church's pastor writes. That purpose, anchored in worship and worked out in deep community ties, is what defines the life of this Birmingham landmark today.
The Long Walk to 16th Street and 6th Avenue
The story of Sixteenth Street begins in 1873, when it was organized as the First Colored Baptist Church of Birmingham, Alabama - the first Black church in the city. The first congregation worshiped in a small building on the corner of 12th Street North and 4th Avenue, then moved to 3rd Avenue North between 19th and 20th Streets. In 1880 the congregation settled at its present location. A modern brick building went up in 1884 and gave Birmingham one of its early models of Black church architecture.
When the City of Birmingham later ordered the brick building torn down, church leaders turned to Wallace Rayfield, the state's only Black architect at the time. A native of Macon, Georgia, raised in Washington, D.C., and educated at Howard University and Pratt Institute in New York City, Rayfield designed the present church building. It was erected at a cost of $26,000 under the supervision of T.C. Windham, a Black contractor from Birmingham who was himself a member of the church and a former chairman of its Trustee Board.
The building was completed in 1911. Its modified Romanesque and Byzantine design features twin towers with pointed domes, a cupola over the sanctuary that is reached by a wide stairway, and a large basement auditorium ringed by rooms along the east and west sides. Today the building is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage and the National Register of Historic Places, and the church belongs to the Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium.
Everybody's Church, and a Painful Day the World Still Remembers
Because of segregation, Sixteenth Street and other Black churches in Birmingham carried many of the social responsibilities that white institutions would not. The church was a meeting place, a social center, and a lecture hall. W.E.B. Du Bois, Mary McLeod Bethune, Paul Robeson, and Ralph Bunche were among the many noted Black Americans who spoke there in its early years. Across the city and from neighboring towns, African Americans came to what was widely called "everybody's church" to take part in special programs.
That central location made Sixteenth Street the natural headquarters for the civil rights mass meetings and rallies of the early 1960s. The mass meetings held in May of 1963 led to marches and demonstrations, police retaliation, and arrests of several thousand schoolchildren. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth offered inspirational leadership through that turbulent spring. The marches helped break the bonds of public segregation in Birmingham.
On Sunday, September 15, 1963, at 10:22 a.m., a bomb exploded at the church. Four young girls attending Sunday School were killed and more than twenty other members of the congregation were injured. The tragedy drew sympathy and more than $300,000 in contributions for restoration from around the world. Sixteenth Street reopened for services on Sunday, June 7, 1964. The people of Wales sent a special memorial gift, a large stained-glass window depicting a Black crucified Christ, designed by John Petts. That window remains at the rear center of the sanctuary, at the balcony level, and remains one of the church's most visited features.
Worship, Sunday School, and a Midweek Bible Study Called W.A.R.
Sixteenth Street gathers for Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. each week. The main worship service follows at 10:45 a.m. The order of the morning includes teaching, dynamic congregational worship, and preaching from the senior pastor. Members are invited to worship through liturgical dance as well as choral and congregational singing, and the church describes the gathering as a chance to "usher you in the presence of God and start your week off right."
Midweek Bible study happens in two parts, both carried under the name W.A.R. - a noon study at 12:00 p.m. and an evening study at 6:30 p.m., both broadcast on Facebook Live so members can join whether they are at the building, at work, or at home. The church describes W.A.R. as a study that "will challenge, encourage and motivate you in your Christian walk." The church also gathers in person for a monthly prayer meeting on the first Wednesday of each month, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Weekly bulletins are kept as a record of the services, and an archive runs back for months at a stretch on the church's online archive. Members can update their contact information and family details through an online member profile form.
What Sixteenth Street Believes
The church describes its doctrinal position as orthodox and evangelical Christianity. It rests firmly on the integrity and infallibility of the Holy Scriptures and accepts the great basic doctrines of the historic Protestant Christian faith. Sixteenth Street also identifies with the non-charismatic, dispensational, pre-millennial movement.
The published doctrine statement affirms the divine inspiration and authority of Scripture; the one true God revealed in three persons; the fall of man and salvation by grace through faith in the shed blood of Christ; the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, with everlasting conscious blessedness for the saved and everlasting conscious punishment for the lost; the duty of every believer to bear testimony to the gospel; and a holy life lived in dependence on the indwelling Holy Spirit. The statement also affirms the church's dispensational reading of Scripture and its understanding of marriage as a covenant union joining one man and one woman, as delineated in Scripture.
The church's vision is to have a Bible-centric ministry that will Reach, Rebuild, and Reproduce disciples through the power of the Holy Spirit. Its mission is to introduce people to Jesus Christ and to encourage the cultivation of a personal relationship with Him. Seven basic philosophies guide the work: Exalt the Savior through dynamic worship, Evangelize the unbeliever through outreach, Establish the new believer in basic doctrine, Encourage every believer in an intimate relationship with Christ, Equip every believer for ministry, Edify one another through spiritual gifts, and Embrace one another in love.
Ministries for Every Stage of Life
Sixteenth Street organizes ministry under four banners: Christian Education, Youth Ministry, Congregational Care, and Fellowship.
Within Christian Education, the church runs Sunday School, a Discipleship process that builds a strong biblical foundation, Vacation Bible School as an intense community outreach, a Women's Ministry that encourages women to become virtuous through discipleship and duplication, a Men's Ministry that develops spiritually mature leaders, a Married Couples Ministry, the midweek W.A.R. Bible Study, and a Young Adult Ministry that reaches, teaches, disciples, and develops young adults holistically.
Youth Ministry reaches children and teenagers with informal Youth Nights for ages 12 to 17 that include rap sessions, recreation, and refreshments, a Youth Choir, a Children's Choir, and Liturgical Dance for ages 9 to 18, in which participants use creative choreography to focus the congregation on the person of Jesus Christ.
Congregational Care walks alongside members through New Members tracking from decision to discipleship classes, Intercessory Prayer for the congregation and the world, a Benevolence ministry for those in need, Hospital Visitation, and a Health and Wellness ministry that promotes awareness and education about physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
Fellowship gathers the church through a Singles ministry, Senior Saints activities, a Culinary Ministry that serves with joy and patience, and a Men's Fellowship Breakfast that builds relationships between fathers and sons and between brothers.
Nursery care is available during worship services for young children.
Health, Wellness, and Community Outreach
Health and Wellness is one of Sixteenth Street's most visible ministries. Members come from backgrounds in nursing, mental health, case management, and hospice, and the ministry has organized a Senior Fit Health Fair at Railroad Park, free health screenings, healthy cooking demonstrations at the Fountain Heights Community Center, and educational features on breast cancer and sickle cell disease. During the pandemic the church hosted COVID-19 testing and a COVID-19 vaccine clinic on site. The ministry welcomes anyone with a caring heart and a willingness to serve.
The church's outreach also includes college scholarships for soon-to-be high school graduates, school supply drives funded through benefit concerts and donation drives, and food box giveaways distributed throughout Birmingham communities. A Capital Campaign titled "What Happens Here Can Change the World" is funding the preservation of the historic church building, a new Education and Visitors Center with a two-story interactive mural, café, courtyard, gift shop, and affordable event space, and ongoing peacebuilding and social justice programming.
Weddings, Funerals, and Baby Dedications
Sixteenth Street hosts weddings that honor marriage as a covenant relationship with God. The main sanctuary is available for most weddings when one member of the couple, or at least one of the couple's parents, is a member of the church. Small private weddings may be held in the Pastor's study with attendance limited to about a dozen people. Weddings may be held any day of the week except Sundays and holidays observed by the church. The fees for non-members are $1,000 for the sanctuary, due two weeks before the wedding, plus a non-refundable $100 application fee that counts toward the total.
The church also coordinates baby dedications. Dates are assigned by the church administration and are subject to the pastor's approval; Communion and first Baptism Sundays are not considered. Sixteenth Street's funeral ministry, organized with a Deacon Board contact, handles music, ushers, programs, and food preparation, with the pastor's office approving any special family requests.
Marital counseling, grief counseling, prayer, and visitation requests can be made through an online form on the church's Services and Support page.
Tours of a Civil Rights Landmark
Sixteenth Street welcomes visitors to tour the building Tuesday through Saturday, with tours beginning at 10:00 a.m. and the last tour starting at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students 18 and under and $10 for adults, and visitors are encouraged to plan at least an hour to complete the tour. Tour groups of 40 or more can make special arrangements by leaving a voice message for tours or emailing the church office. The tour experience is part of the Birmingham Civil Rights District and pairs naturally with visits to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the Birmingham Jazz Hall of Fame, and the 4th Avenue Merchants district.
Building Use for Meetings and Events
Outside groups can request use of the church building, with the understanding that the facility is treated as a place of worship and the House of God. Rates are $400 per hour, $1,200 for three hours, and $2,500 for all day. Kitchen use is an additional $150. A half deposit is required to hold the date, with the balance due two weeks before the event. No smoking or alcohol is permitted in the church, and no food is allowed in the upstairs sanctuary. The church reserves the right to decline any activity not deemed appropriate and to close the facility at any time for its own intended use, restoration, or repair.
Pastor and Leadership
Reverend Arthur Price, Jr. has served as pastor of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church since January 2002. He is a 1995 graduate of Colgate Rochester Divinity School, where he received the Master of Divinity degree with an emphasis in biblical studies. He completed undergraduate study at Temple University in Philadelphia, earning the Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, and worked for eleven years as a Prosecution Assistant in both the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office and the Monroe County District Attorney's Office in Rochester, New York. Under his pastorate the church has expanded its ministries, including education, congregational care, youth work, health and wellness, and outreach.
A board of Ward Deacons oversees members across Greater Birmingham by zip code. The published roster includes Dea. Jeffrey Bowie (Ensley, Fairview, Mt. Olive, Westend, Wylam), Dea. Terrence Brown (Fultondale, Gardendale, North Birmingham, Tarrant), Dea. Orlando Davis (Center Point), Dea. Roy Davis (Eastlake, Huffman, South Roebuck, Trussville), Dea. Jeffery Hicks (Adamsville, Alabaster, Calera, Chelsea, Columbiana, Forestdale, Jemison, Maylene, Montevallo), Dea. Ivan Holloway (Avondale, Woodlawn), Dea. David Jones (Pinson), Dea. Roderick Moore, I (Bessemer, Hueytown, McCalla, Pleasant Grove), Dea. Morris Packer, Jr. (Bessemer, Fairfield, Dolomite, Hueytown, Midfield, Pleasant Grove), and Dea. Adolphus Plump, III (College Hills, Downtown, South Highlands).
Giving, Membership, and Staying Connected
Gifts to Sixteenth Street can be made online through designated funds that include Tithes and Offering, the Stewardship Campaign, the Capital Campaign, the 16th Street Building Endowment, Building Use Donation, Benevolence Offering, the Social Justice Campaign, the Scholarship Fund, and General Donations. People interested in becoming members can complete a Membership and Salvation form online, after which a Deacon walks them through the Plan of Salvation or the Plan of Membership. Members who have moved or changed phone numbers can update their information through an online member profile form, and visitors are invited to join the mailing list to receive announcements.
Sixteenth Street connects with members and friends on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, and its sermons and Bible studies are livestreamed on Facebook Live.