top of page

OUR HISTORY

Shiloh Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia has been an integral part of the religious community of Atlanta since its founding in 1886 by Rev. J. H. Hall. The rich and glorious legacy of leadership, service, and community has continued “down through the years.” Rev. Tom Reed provided strong leadership from 1886 until 1897, when Rev. W. H. Lowe, along with several trustees purchased property at 713 Greens Ferry Avenue. This property was purchased at a cost of eleven dollars and sixty cents ($11.60) over a period of eight years. The mortgage was held by Merchants and Mechanics Banking and Loan Co. This property became the site for erecting the first church building for the Shiloh congregation.
 

From 1886-1925, Shiloh was blessed with many capable and dynamic leaders. Among those leaders were, Rev. B. R. Porter, Rev. William Williams, Rev. L. H. Mills, Rev. McIver, Rev. Collins, Rev. Charles Hubert and Rev. Benjamin E. Mays who became nationally recognized as an educator, activist and orator. In 1926, Rev. William P. King succeeded Rev. Mays as pastor of Shiloh. Rev. King proved to be an effective and capable leader. He served as pastor of Shiloh from 1926-1958, thus becoming one of the longest serving pastors in the church’s history. In 1934, under his guidance and leadership, Shiloh sold its Greens Ferry Avenue property. On March 5, 1935 the church made another move, onward and upward, establishing a new place of worship at 812 Beckwith Street.
 

As Shiloh continued to grow in its service endeavors and membership, a new pastor took the helm. In 1958, Rev. Clarence J. Gresham was called to serve as pastor. Rev. Gresham emphasized leadership and provided a vision for improving the physical edifice. During his tenure, from 1958-1974, Shiloh purchased pews and added instrumentation that included a piano and an organ. Rev. Gresham also envisioned the laity being prepared for greater responsibility. As a result, Shiloh organized auxiliaries, which included the C.J. Gresham Courtesy Guild, the Faithful Few Club and the Deaconess Board.
 

In 1975, Rev. James H. Sims became the pastor of Shiloh. Rev. Sims served the Shiloh congregation and church community faithfully for forty (40) years, thus becoming the longest serving pastor. Upon his retirement in 2015, he became Pastor Emeritus. Under his leadership, the name of the church was officially changed to Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, Inc. on September 26, 1975. In 1978, Shiloh purchased property on Westview Drive (the current home of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church). The groundbreaking ceremony was held in April of 1979 and construction began in May of that same year. After the final service at 812 Beckwith Street on December 16, 1979, Shiloh congregants held service at M. Agnes Jones School in the interim. The initial service at the 1150 Westview Drive location was held on September 7, 1980. This was a momentous occasion for the Shiloh Church Family. It marked a new era in the history of the church. From 2000 to date, Shiloh has completed other building projects, purchased additional property and increased membership.

​

Additionally, under Rev. Sims’ leadership, Shiloh strengthened many of its outreach programs. Other noteworthy accomplishments include the following:

  • Work in missions broadened in scope, as well as purpose; Church organizations were now called “Ministries;”

  • The “Ministries” of the church also began to focus on issues of family life, education, visitation, and youth;

  • Christian Education and Outreach became focal points for serving and empowering the community; and

  • A model whereby trained professional clergy and lay could work in unity to fulfill the “ great commission of Jesus Christ” was implemented.

​

Once again God has blessed Shiloh with an anointed leader and man of God, Rev. Phillip R. A. Spann. Rev. Spann began his pastorate at Shiloh on April 1, 2015. Prior to that, he faithfully and ably served as Associate Minister from 2010-2015.

​

Since Pastor Spann's first year as Senior Pastor  and Teacher, in 2015, the Lord has done great things through him. Under Pastor Spann's leadership, Shiloh has experienced both tangible and intangible blessings:

  • Pastor Spann leading in the effort to purchase a new roof for the church; 

  • Formation of the Saved and Social Media Ministry;

  • Establishment of a Security Ministry (2015), LHL Health & Wellness Ministry (2017) and the E3 Jobs Ministry (2017);

  • An increase in our membership by 350 new members since becoming pastor; 

  • Implementation of Shiloh's Intercessory Prayer Ministry (2015) with a vision of Shiloh becoming a house of prayer for all nations;

  • Restructuring of the Budget to adopt the Fundamental Approach, which will allow us to allocate 10% for Missions work, and

  • A vision of retiring our debt through the implementation of our 1st Lifestyle Stewardship Capital Campaign - OPERATION EXODUS.

 

Rev Spann continues to build upon the foundation and strong model of leadership exemplified by all of Shiloh’s God-sent leaders. He understands the importance of embracing Shiloh’s fruitful history while fulfilling Shiloh’s dynamic destiny for the Kingdom of God.
 

  • ​

More importantly, Rev. Spann is committed to fulfilling the “Great Commission” through Evangelizing the Doomed, Empowering the Disciple, and Exalting the Divine.
 

Deacon Linda Hayes King, Church Historian

​

REVISED MAY 2, 2018

OUR PASTORS

1886-1921

Rev. J. H. Hall

Rev. Tom Reed

Rev. W. H. Lowe

Rev. B. R. Porter

Rev. William Williams

Rev. L. H. Mills

Rev. McIver

Rev. Collins

Rev. Charles Hubert

1958-1974

Rev. Clarence J. Gresham

1922-1925

Rev. Benjamin E. Mays

1975-2015

Rev. James H. Sims, Jr.

1926-1958

Rev. William P. King, Sr.

2015-Present

Rev. Phillip R. A. Spann

OUR MISSION


Extending the Ministry of Jesus Christ through Evangelizing the Doomed, Empowering the Disciple and Exalting the Divine.

CORE VALUES

Core values are constant, passionate, biblical beliefs that drive our ministry. Our core values are:

  1. The Word of God (Acts 2:42; 2 Timothy 3:16)

  2.  Prayer (Acts 2:42)

  3.  Evangelism (Acts 2:47)

  4.  Fellowship (Act 2:42)

  5.  Praise and Worship (Acts 2:47)

  6.  Excellence (Colossians 3:23)

  7.  Discipleship (Matthew 28:19)

MINISTRIAL STAFF

DEACONS 

DEACONESS

WHAT WE BELIEVE

THE SCRIPTURES

We believe that both the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God and are inerrant in the original writings. Through the providence of God, the Scriptures have been preserved and are the supreme and final and adequate authority in faith and life (Ps 19:7; 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:21).
 

GOD

We believe that there is only one true and living God existing in three Persons–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit–each a distinct Person, but all of one essence and all having the same nature, perfections, and attributes, and each is worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence, and obedience (Gen 1:26; Jer 10:10; Matt 3:16-17; 28:19).
 

JESUS CHRIST

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, that He shed His blood on Calvary as a vicarious substitute, was buried, rose again bodily, and ascended to the Father according to the Scriptures (Isa 7:14; Matt 1:18-25; 1 Cor 15:3; Heb 4:15).
 

HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, very God, co-existent with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is the chief agent in the regeneration, the chief convictor of sin, and the chief comforter of the believer. Simultaneous with regeneration, the Holy Spirit baptizes the believer into the body of Christ (Matt 28:19; John 16:7-11; Acts 5:3-4; Rom 8:9; 1 Cor 12:12-14).
 

MAN

We believe that man is the direct creation of God–body, soul, and spirit–and is not in any sense the result of evolution but is made in the image of God. Adam, the first man, sinned by disobedience. This act resulted in the fall of mankind and incurred both physical and spiritual death for all (Gen 1:26-27; Rom 3:10,23; 5:12).
 

SALVATION

We believe that all who, in faith, receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior are born again by the Holy Spirit and thus become the children of God. Salvation involves redemption, regeneration, sanctification, and glorification (John 1:12; 3:3; 17:17; Rom 8:29-30; Eph 2:8-9; 4:30; Tit 3:5).
 

SECOND COMING

We believe in the literal, visible, personal, pre-millennial, pre-tribulational return of Jesus Christ for His Church. At this event, the dead in Christ and living believers will be translated to meet Him in the air. At the end of the seven year tribulation, Christ will visibly descend with the saints to establish His earthly millennial kingdom (Acts 1:11; 1 Thes 4:13-18; Rev 20:1-6).

SATAN

We believe that Satan was originally created a perfect being. He rebelled against God. As a result, he became depraved, the Devil and adversary of God and His people, and leader of a host of angels who fell with him. Satan has been judged and defeated at the cross and awaits his ultimate doom at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ (Isa 14:13-14; Ezek 28:13-17; John 16:11; 1 Tim 3:7; Rev 20:10).
 

HEAVEN

We believe in the eternal abode of God and the holy angels, where Jesus intercedes for His people on earth and where the spirits of departed saints await their resurrected, glorified bodies. Heaven is a literal place of conscious bliss to which all saints go upon death and from which the Lord Jesus Christ will come to receive those saints who are alive at His coming. To depart and be in heaven is to be “present with the Lord” and so is “far better” than to remain alive on earth, but the eternal blessedness of heaven is only for those who possess eternal life through faith in the atoning work of Christ (Heb 12:22-24; John 14:1-3; 2 Cor 5:1-10; Phil 1:23, 3:20-21; 1 Thes 4:16-18; Rev 21:1-22.5; John 14:6).
 

HELL

We believe that hell is a literal place of judgment created for the devil and those angels who followed him in his rebellion against God. In the final state, the devil and his demons will spend eternity banished from the presence of God in the Lake of Fire. This same final punishment also awaits all unredeemed people who refuse to believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scriptures declare that the torment of all the inhabitants in the Lake of Fire lasts forever. Prior to the final state, the soul of the unjust at death is condemned to hades in a state of conscious torment until the resurrection of the unjust. At this resurrection, the disembodied soul is reunited with the resurrected body and cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:10; Matt 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Rev 14:11; 20:10, 15; Luke 16:19-31; John 5:29; Rev 20:11-15).
 

THE PRIESTHOOD OF THE BELIEVER

We believe in the priesthood of all believers so that every Christian has direct access to God in prayer through Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, and that there is no mediator between God and man other than Jesus Christ (Heb 4:16; 1 Tim 2:5; Rev 1:6).

 

SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER

We believe that salvation is not only a gift from God but also is sustained by the Lord. The Holy Spirit permanently indwells the believer and seals him in salvation for all eternity. Therefore, since salvation is wholly of the Lord, apart from the works of man, we hold that the believer shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto eternal salvation (John 10:28; 14:16-17,26; 1 Cor 2:9-14; Eph 1:13; 2:8-9; 1 Pet 1:5; Jude 24-25).
 

PROVIDENCE

We believe in the providence of God, but that He is in not the author or approver of sin nor the destroyer of the free will and responsibility of man (John 3:16; Rom 8:28-30).
 

THE LORD’S DAY

We believe that Sunday is the Lord’s Day and is a Christian institution for regular observance of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private (1 Cor 16.2; Rev 1:10).
 

CREATION

We believe the triune God created the universe apart from pre-existing materials and without any evolutionary process. We believe in the historicity of the first eleven chapters of Genesis (Gen 1:1; Matt 19:4; John 1:1-3; Rom 1:20; Col 1:16-17; Heb 11:3).
 

THE LOCAL CHURCH

We believe that the New Testament church is a local body of baptized believers with Christ as its head and the Holy Spirit as its guide. New Testament churches promote God’s work by cooperating together for missions and many other joint efforts. The local church is to be governed independently of outside persons, bodies, groups, or authorities (Matt 28:16-20; Acts 1:6-8; 6:3; 1 Cor 12:12-14; Eph 1:3-6,22-23; 1 Thes 4:16-18).
 

ORDINANCES

We believe that the local church observes two ordinances–baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that all who have received Christ as Savior and Lord should be baptized in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; that baptism is by immersion in the likeness of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ; and that the Lord’s Supper should be observed in remembrance of Him to show forth His death for our sins until He comes again (Matt 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Rom 6:3-6; 1 Cor 11:23-26).

bottom of page