Southern Baptist Church stands at 3556 Reading Road in Cincinnati's Avondale community, where worship has gathered since a Sunday School mission organized in the home of Deacon and Sister S. C. Carter in 1917. The congregation is known for a 9 a.m. Sunday service that pairs traditional worship with drums, a praise team and praise dance, for a pastor who teaches from the pulpit, and for ministries that reach well beyond the sanctuary into the surrounding neighborhood.
Sunday Morning at 9 a.m. on Reading Road
Sunday worship begins at 9 a.m. and runs to about 10:30 a.m. The service is led primarily by the pastor, Rev. Dr. Dan W. Larkin, Jr., who is known as a teacher and preacher. The stated aim of the service is worship that teaches God's word, carries a sense of God's presence, and leaves people encouraged and supported in living an obedient life.
The church describes itself as somewhat traditional in worship style, but the room also has drums, praise dancers and a praise team, and the pastor is known for adding a song or two. Communion is served in the worship service on the first Sunday, and baptism is performed periodically on Sunday at 9 a.m.
Children are part of that service rather than set aside from it. The Children's Ministry meets during the 9 a.m. worship and offers worship and structured group activities for children under 12, with enrichment projects scheduled through the year for fun and outreach.
What to Wear, Where to Park and How to Get There
The church is not focused on what people wear. Sunday outfits run from suits and dresses to blue jeans and polo shirts, and having people present matters more than what they have on.
Parking is available in two church lots. The Lexington Avenue lot is entered from the second driveway south of Reading Road, just before the Cincinnati Fire Department safety trailer, and its Lexington Avenue side entrance leads directly into the church. The Mann Place lot sits on the first street north of the church, entered from the first driveway on the right when turning onto Mann Place from Reading Road, with a rear entrance into the building.
A Transportation Ministry provides rides for members to the 9 a.m. worship service and after Sunday School, along with additional trips as needed. Inside, the Usher and Nurses Ministry welcomes people into the sanctuary, keeps the room orderly, supplies the pulpit, assists with medical issues that arise during a service and monitors security alongside a team of greeters.
Bible Study on Wednesdays and Sunday Mornings
Sunday worship is followed by Sunday School at 10:45 a.m., and a second weekly study gathers on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. Both are described as 60 to 90 minute sessions for encouragement, prayer, study and special projects such as fellowship, service and evangelism. The church currently uses Urban Ministries Sunday School material and teaches that those who study, fellowship and serve with the congregation are richly blessed.
The Sunday School Ministry serves children, youth and adults and also manages the church's Black History readings, the Easter Pageant, a back-to-school giveaway, Promotion Day and the Christmas Pageant.
A Century Rooted in Avondale
Southern Baptist Church began in 1917 as a Sunday School mission organized in the home of Deacon and Sister S. C. Carter, with Rev. C. W. Williams called to give it leadership from 1917 to 1923. Williams led the mission into a permanent church and moved it from 514 George Street to 562 George Street at a cost of $6,000. The name "Southern" grew out of the first members having come from states including Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.
Rev. J. S. Tate (1924 to 1929) led the church from 562 George Street into the edifice at 701 Richmond Street. Shorter terms followed from Rev. H. P. James (1929 to 1930), Rev. J. W. Heywood (1930 to 1931) and Rev. Marshall Moore (1931 to 1943), who led the church through significant debt liquidation and the hiring of staff. Rev. P. L. Harvey served from 1943 to 1944 and led the burning of the mortgage, and Rev. L. W. Veal served from 1946 to 1953.
Rev. Jessie Watson, a son of Southern who served from 1953 to 1969, led the church to its present home at 3556 Reading Road for $238,000, with Rev. Samuel Cruthfield serving alongside him until the next pastor was called.
Rev. James E. Milton served from 1970 to 1996 and oversaw the burning of the church mortgage, a 1987 addition to the building, the implementation of a charter school and the Southern Day Care Center in 1987, the purchase of a number of rental houses, and the licensing and ordination of a number of deacons and ministers. He was also a noted advocate for the Avondale community.
Rev. Richard Smith, Milton's assistant pastor, served as interim pastor between Milton and Rev. C. Dennis Edwards I, who led from 1997 to 2007 and oversaw construction of the James E. Milton Educational Complex and other physical improvements to the building. Rev. Walter E. Bledsoe, another son of Southern, served as interim pastor between Edwards and the next pastor.
Rev. Dr. Robert E. Baines, Jr. was called to serve in January 2009 and stayed until 2019. Those years brought the development of ministries for community and follow-up evangelism, growth groups, the Training Union and community involvement, with more than 16,070 hours and $101,576 given to community involvement and over $1,031,316 in improvements to the church building. The church burned the $1 million mortgage on the James E. Milton Building on September 26, 2014, in less than six years despite revenue and attendance falling short of projections. After Dr. Baines resigned in May 2019, Rev. Dan W. Larkin, Jr. was selected as interim pastor that July.
During the years that followed, Pastor Larkin and his team made needed enhancements to the facility and kept the church together through a global pandemic. On May 8, 2023, the church selected Rev. Dan W. Larkin, Jr. as senior pastor by an overwhelming majority vote, making him the 13th senior pastor of Southern Baptist Church.
The Pastor: Musician, Teacher and Preacher
Rev. Dr. Dan W. Larkin, Jr. was born on March 14, 1971. His spiritual journey began when he accepted Christ at the age of six at Bethlehem Baptist Church, and he joined Southern Baptist Church by letter in 1984, becoming a musician in the church that same year. He became Minister of Music in 1988 and has served in that capacity for more than 30 years. He was licensed as a minister in 2007 and ordained in 2011, and received the Faithful Servant Eagle Award, the church's highest honor, in October 2014.
He holds degrees in Music and Christian Ministries from Temple Baptist, a Master of Theological Studies and a Master of Divinity from Faith Evangelical, and he is a doctoral candidate at United Theological Seminary with a focus on strategic leadership in the Black church. As a musician he began as a first-chair saxophonist with the traveling CPS Honor Band, became a songwriter and the executive producer of the album "Come into the House" performed by the Southern Baptist Mass Choir, and has worked with gospel artists such as Dr. Charles Fold, Donald Lawrence and Dottie Peoples. He has also taught music for Cincinnati Public Schools and Xavier University.
As a teacher he has instructed Sunday School, Wednesday Bible Study, associate minister sessions, singles, youth ministry and the "Service of the Lord" curriculum he developed for the Music Ministry. As a preacher he has ministered locally and nationally, including as a Morning Glory preacher for the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses. He and his wife are the parents of two sons.
The Mission Behind C.O.R.E.
The mission statement is plain: "The mission of God's church is to make and mark disciples" (Matthew 28:19-20). Four values, written as the church's C.O.R.E., give that mission its shape.
- Christocentric. Christ is at the center. The church believes everything Jesus said and did and seeks to be an example of that way of life (Philippians 2:5; 1 Corinthians 11:1).
- Outreach Driven. The church is intentional and passionate about reaching the lost through evangelism (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).
- Responsible Stewardship. Members are accountable for everything God has given them: time, talent, treasure and tithe (1 Peter 4:10; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7).
- Excellence in Service to Others. The church aims to use what God has given it to bless other people (Acts 20:35; Galatians 6:10; John 13:34-35).
On salvation, the church teaches in the language of John 3:16: being saved means being in a right relationship with God based on accepting Jesus as Savior by faith. Growing in the Lord means understanding and living by God's word, the Bible, which has principles for every area of life (Luke 9:23).
Ministries for Every Stage of Life
Ministry work is organized in three departments. Department One covers Christian education and the ministries that build discipleship at different ages.
- Children. Worship and structured group activities during the 9 a.m. service for children under 12, with enrichment projects through the year. Min. Valerie Cunningham is Children's Pastor, and Sis. Shauna Murphy serves as department superintendent and representative for children's ministry.
- Marriage. Year-round projects designed to help married couples become disciples of Christ and exemplify a Christian, biblical marriage to the congregation, managed by the Kittles and the Phams.
- Men. Year-round projects to help men become disciples, including training for boys, teenage boys and young adult men on the way to full maturation, along with repass support, special teachings, fellowship projects and workshops. Dea. Greg Cunningham, Bro. Michael Davis and Lenny Hunt manage the ministry.
- Women. Training for girls, teenage girls and young adult women with repass assistance, special teachings, fellowship projects and workshops, led by Sis. Angela Randolph.
- Sunday School. Devotional and educational studies for children, youth and adults, managed by Sis. Joyce Johnson and LaTasha Kittles.
- Youth. Year-round fellowship, study and service projects for teenagers, led by Youth Pastor Min. Andre Kittles.
Department Two, under Pastor Larkin, covers the Music, Media, Deacon, Deaconess, Senior, Trustee, Church Clerk and Treasurer ministries along with worship support. The Senior Ministry focuses on enriching members aged 65 and above through projects such as a senior luncheon. Department Three, led by Superintendent Sis. DeAnna Banks, includes Community and Follow-Up Evangelism, Hospitality, Membership Orientation, Pastor's Love, Usher and Nurses, and Transportation.
Music: Praise Teams, Choirs and Dance
The Music Ministry's praise teams and choirs provide song service for worship services, outreach services, vacation Bible school and funerals, and supply choirs for Mother's Day and Father's Day. Under the direction of the Minister of Music, Bro. Ernie Byrd Jr., who is listed as interim music director, the ministry organizes training and rehearsals for members of all ages and stages a musical celebration concert in both spring and fall.
Ignite Dance Ministry adds interpretive presentations that combine praise dance with mime, led by Sis. Tiffany Craig, Breanna Henry and Brielle Edwards Norman. The Media Ministry manages the sound, video and recording equipment used for worship services, Bible studies, church meetings and selected events, and handles the sale of media products such as CDs and DVDs.
Care Groups and Deacons Who Follow Up
Pastoral care is organized into four care groups, each covering a range of names, with deacons, deaconesses, mothers and ministers serving as contact persons. Care Group 1 covers names from N Amber to V Cunningham, Care Group 2 from G Daniel to J Jackson, Care Group 3 from B Jamison to V Rawls and Care Group 4 from C Reed to O Young.
Deacons assist the pastor by modeling discipleship, ministering to members who are hospitalized, bereaved, homebound or living in nursing homes, assisting with ordinances, devotion and homegoing services, and serving as a personal concierge to the congregation. The Deaconess Ministry assists with those same ministries and with baptisms, while the "Mothers" of the church are respected aged ladies whose duty is to pray for the church, urge the discipleship of members and carry out assignments from the pastor.
Serving Avondale and the Wider World
The church is deliberate about community involvement, volunteering time and giving money to organizations in the Avondale community and nearby. Named partners include the community council, Rockdale Academy, South Avondale Elementary, Taft Elementary, the NAACP, National Action Network, CityLink, City Gospel Mission, the Interfaith Hospitality Network, prisons and nursing homes. The church also gives to historically Black colleges and universities, to mission projects in Africa and Haiti, and to disaster relief efforts during the year.
The Community and Follow-Up Evangelism Ministry conducts evangelistic events in the Avondale area, distributes Christian literature, secures contact information for follow-up, and shares the plan of salvation and prayer as opportunities arise. Community dinners bring people together at the church, and the congregation's giving can be made online through Givelify.
Renting the Reading Road Campus
Southern rents several parts of its facility to outside groups: classrooms, the fellowship hall, the gymnasium, the kitchen and office space, for short-term or long-term rentals. The church's property holdings also include rental houses acquired during the years of Rev. James E. Milton.
Watching and Giving from Home
Those who cannot be in the sanctuary can worship virtually. The church keeps an archive of recent and past messages on YouTube, including messages from the pastor and other ministers, available through its sermon archive, and gatherings are announced through the church's events listing.
Rebuild. Restore. Reclaim
Those three words are the church's motto, and they trace a century of movement for Southern Baptist Church, from a Sunday School mission in a Carter family home in 1917 to a congregation of worshippers, singers, teachers, dancers, deacons and volunteers meeting at 3556 Reading Road. The church's own invitation reads: "Come and witness the SBC Experience."