When the sanctuary and fellowship hall of Brown Missionary Baptist Church burned down in 1987, what could have been a disaster turned out to be the catalyst for the growth and outreach acceleration of what is today a community cornerstone church in Southaven, Mississippi, demonstrating clear growth through community outreach.
Brown, a predominantly African American congregation founded by formerly enslaved people in 1882, still worships from the same property today. But the fire in 1987 paused its ministry and brought about a church split: Some members and the pastor chose to leave the then-rural area and start a new church closer to the urban center of nearby Memphis, Tennessee — an area highlighted for efforts like the Memphis multiethnic church movement. Fewer than 100 members stayed and rebuilt, welcoming then-19-year-old Senior Pastor Bartholomew Orr in January 1989 and opening the newly constructed church building that May, with an emphasis on practical community outreach.
“We are a church that is busy not only between the walls but beyond the walls of the church,” he explains. “We are ministering to the needs of the people.” That outward focus is part of a broader tradition of Church community collaboration that supports neighborhoods beyond Sunday services.
Prior to the fire, the church’s identity as a cornerstone of its community was already cemented into its DNA.
“We have a history that says the greatest things in the African American community start within the church,” Orr says. “There were barriers to education, so they started their own schools. Graves date back to 1889 in our church cemetery, because the only way to bury our dead was if we did it ourselves. They started these things so that they could minister to their community. That’s what we seek to continue, and the Lord blesses us because I believe that’s the way Jesus intended.”
Brown has accelerated its trajectory toward growth, spiritual health, local and global missions, and generosity, which has made it one of the most influential churches in the area. According to David Brown, the church’s creative director, it’s also one of the largest predominantly African American churches in the region.
Soon after the church reopened, word spread that Orr’s preaching was worth hearing, and some who had left eventually returned. Additionally, many new members joined. By 1996, the church had tripled in size and added a second service.