Monroe Missionary Baptist Church is the second oldest Southern Baptist Church in the state of Michigan and was chartered on December 22nd, 1937 by a group of nine migrant workers from Tazewell, Tennessee. After missional and discipleship growth had left the congregation cramped into a small two-car garage, the church decided to purchase property and build a sanctuary. That property was 618 E First Street and services were conducted in the new building by October 1939. This sanctuary was dedicated on May 31, 1942 and the church membership had already grown to 196 members.
By 1945, the church was in need of a larger building and sought to purchase a new building to house the growing congregation. The property they would buy was located on the corner of E First Street and Wadsworth Street and was purchased on Monday, November 19, 1945. After a couple of years of obstacles the congregation met to dedicate the church building in March 25, 1951 and by then they had grown to over 400 members and would continue to grow to around 1400.
After almost 50 years of growth, building additions, community service and peoples’ faith put in Christ, the church was at another milestone, taking on the purchasing and building of a larger sanctuary. That building now sits on 14260 S. Dixie Hwy and still supports its current congregation.
