The church was founded in 1869 by members of First Baptist Church in Atlanta (now known as Friendship Baptist Church) who wanted a place of worship closer to where they lived.[1] Seven members founded Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church on Howell Street, originally holding service under a bush arbor.[1][2] Andrew Jackson would serve as the church's first pastor, a position he would hold until 1874.[3] The church would relocate several times before moving to its present location on Auburn Avenue (at the time known as Wheat Street, hence the present name).[2][4] In 1881, the church played a role in the Atlanta washerwomen strike, as a meeting of over 500 strikers was held in the church.[5] In 1894, the Butler Street YMCA was formed in the basement of the church building.[3][6] From 1898 to 1928, P. James Bryant served as the church's pastor.[3]
The current building was built in August 1921 after the previous building was destroyed in the Great Atlanta fire of 1917.[1] In 1932, Wheat Street hosted a meeting of the NAACP.[7] In 1937, William Holmes Borders became the church pastor, a position he would hold until 1988.[1] Borders would become a prominent activist in the civil rights movement, influencing a young Martin Luther King Jr. King would often attend sermons held by Borders, and Borders's wife had been King's English teacher.[7]
Wheat Street is notable for its community outreach programs. On March 7, 1956, it became one of the first churches in the United States, and the first black church, to sponsor a federal credit union.[1][8][9] The church also maintains a charitable foundation and housing ministry, and in 1999 held over $33 million worth of real estate, making it one of the richest black churches in the United States.[1][10]
