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 | |
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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
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 m2) of usable space.[9][10]