128 years of faithful witness in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee
Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church was founded in 1896 by seventeen freed men and women who gathered in a one-room building on Beale Street to worship, study Scripture, and build a community rooted in the gospel. Their courage, faith, and sacrifice laid a foundation that has held for over a century.
Through the Great Depression, the civil rights movement, and the transformation of Memphis, Pilgrim Rest has remained a steady presence — preaching the same unchanging gospel while adapting its ministry to meet the needs of each generation.
We are a member congregation of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. — the oldest and largest African American religious organization in the United States — and we are proud to carry forward that legacy of faith, education, and freedom.