About
A Rich Heritage
Our church has a rich heritage, but we are even more excited about what is in front of us. We believe that God has called us to Baltimore to make disciples and love our neighbor. We’re a church made up of young and old, but we all have a heart to live in the city where God has called us. If you would like to know more about our history and where we’re going take some time to look at our Then and Now.
Then
In 1855 a couple of churches recognized the need for a new congregation in the city. They joined together to start a new church on Lee Street. That church began in a stable and by the grace of God they saw fruit from their ministry in the city. They were able to move into a building previously owned by an Episcopal congregation and then built their own facility. Around 1913 the Lee Street Baptist congregation made a move from Lee Street to Warren Avenue in Federal Hill. We’ve been in our current location over 100 years.
Now
Now our congregation is in a unique situation. Sadly many historic churches have started to decline or die, but God had a different plan for our church. In February 2014 Lee Street Baptist Church (founded 1855) merged with Redeemer City Church (founded 2013) and now we are more focused on what is in our future than what was in the past. Now our church is committed to making disciples in the heart of the city. We are a congregation that believes the Gospel has the power to change everything. We have seen the gospel create a new family in our church made up of people that are from diverse backgrounds. We are also committed to the mission of God both in Baltimore and beyond. We invite you to be our guest so you can experience what God is doing in the heart of Baltimore!
What We Believe
Our confessional statement is adapted from the foundational documents of The Gospel Coalition. We also affirm the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, and Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
Our Pastor
While we desire to follow the consistent biblical pattern of a plurality of pastors, we only have one pastor during this season, Brad O'Brien.
Brad and his family moved from Durham, NC to Baltimore, MD to plant Redeemer City Church in 2013. Brad and his wife, Jena-Marie, had sensed conviction to leave the comfort of their past experience and take a step of faith by starting a church in a city with desperate need for the Gospel. Over the course of their first couple of months in Baltimore, God crossed their path with an existing church in South Baltimore (Lee Street Baptist Church). God led these two congregation to merge together for the sake of continuing the gospel legacy that began in 1855.
Brad and Jena-Marie live in the Federal Hill neighborhood with their four children.
Values
Our church's core values are Gospel, Family and Mission.
The Gospel
The gospel is for all of life.
The gospel saves, sanctifies, gathers and sends. It is the principle doctrine of the faith that both reconciles us to God and helps us to become more like Jesus. The gospel motivates and guides everything we do.
Family
The gospel gathers unlikely people into a new family.
God has created us for community and no one was created to succeed in isolation. We’re created to live and grow in community. Even though it isn’t always easy, we will delight in doing life together, believing that God uses others to refine us so that we look more like Jesus.
Mission
Everything we say and do ought to be a blessing to Baltimore.
We’re a church that wants to bless our city in our words and actions. Although our faith leads us to be a counter-cultural community that demonstrates what life looks like when Jesus is King, we are a people that have been sent to the city of Baltimore. Therefore, we will not isolate ourselves from the city but rather strive to be honorable citizens bringing joy to the city. The problems that face our city are our problems. We are responsible to bring the gospel to bear on the issues that deteriorate our city’s core.