Salem Baptist Church (Chicago)

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

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.

History

In 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

In 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 m^2) of usable space.[9][10]

See also

• List of the largest churches in the USA
• List of the largest evangelical churches
• List of the largest evangelical church auditoriums
• Worship service (evangelicalism)

References

1. Monica Davey, AT THE CROSSROADS: A NEIGHBORHOOD, A CHURCH AND A PASTOR, chicagotribune.com, USA, April 6, 1999
2. Randall Herbert Balmer, Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism: Revised and expanded edition, Baylor University Press, USA, 2004, p. 444
3. Monica Davey, AT THE CROSSROADS: A NEIGHBORHOOD, A CHURCH AND A PASTOR, chicagotribune.com, USA, April 6, 1999
4. Monica Davey, AT THE CROSSROADS: A NEIGHBORHOOD, A CHURCH AND A PASTOR, chicagotribune.com, USA, April 6, 1999
5. Bob Smietana, MegaShepherd, christianitytoday.com, USA, February 1, 2004
6. Bob Smietana, MegaShepherd, christianitytoday.com, USA, February 1, 2004
7. 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
8. Manya A. Brachear, Meeks' mega-church ready for its debut, chicagotribune.com, USA, July 1, 2005
9. "Chicago megachurch opens doors for 10,000". USA Today. Associated Press. July 4, 2005. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
10. Bill J. Leonard, Baptists in America, Columbia University Press, USA, 2005, p. 2

41°41′17.0″N 87°36′13.7″W

External links

• Official website