“Come just as you are”. That’s the welcoming message from Shiyloh Baptist Church of Detroit. It extends to all who seek connection to Christianity in the Detroit area. Shiyloh Baptist Church is more than just a building. It’s a friendly Christian community.
Greater Shiyloh Missionary Baptist Church stands as the second oldest African-American Baptist congregation in Detroit. Reverend John Wills founded it in 1881. At its start, the church had 25 members. The oldest black Baptist congregation in the city is Second Baptist. It was founded by former slaves in 1839.
The church’s history is rich. It involves resilience and community spirit. The Greater Shiyloh Missionary Baptist Church records include a church history. They also contain celebratory and obsequy programs. Clippings and notebooks of materials accumulated during the pastorates of several leaders are preserved. These pastors are R. B. James, Solomon David Ross, William H. Crews, and Harold Knox. You can also find bulletins of church services in the archives.
Carlos N. Stokes designed the Benton Street site in 1920. He was a Black draftsman. Perhaps he was the first Detroit African American to draw up architectural plans for a church. The church wasn’t completed until 1926. The congregation then moved from their previous church in the Eastern Market area. It was near the intersection of Russell and Gratiot.
During the Depression, urban residents faced tremendous housing problems. The federal government began building large public housing projects to solve those problems. Brewster was the nation’s first. Eleanor Roosevelt even came to Detroit to help break ground.
Reverend Solomon Ross fought the federal government’s attempt to raze Greater Shiyloh. He won. This explains the church’s location within the Brewster Project. In 1931, he detected fraud. He expelled more than 50 members. To train children, Ross organized a Junior Church in 1937. Ross continued to facilitate African-American progress into the 1960s.
Following Ross’s passing, Reverend William Crews was called. He served through 2003. Crews tripled the number of people who tithed. He engaged in interstate visitation. In 1977, Crews and the congregation remodeled Shiyloh. They modernized the building. Reverend Crews began another renovation project. This was to construct the Mary O. Ross Education Building. In 1981, Shiyloh celebrated its Centennial Anniversary.
In 2003, Reverend Harold Lee Knox was installed as pastor. He resigned in 2007 after legal proceedings.
The church is a large, redbrick, one-story building. It rests upon a concrete pod with limestone trim. A major addition was constructed in the front in 1978. It is a large two-story brick entryway with a flat roof. Eric Hill and John Gallagher described the original entrance in AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. It is a classical church entrance. It is strongly influenced by traditional European church architecture.
Greater Shiyloh Baptist Church is more than bricks and mortar. It is a place of prayer. It is a place of community. Shiyloh is a beacon of hope in Detroit. The church continues to welcome all. It helps people understand the enriching messages of Jesus Christ.