Who We Are
Our Foundation
What We Believe
We believe in an all-powerful, all-knowing Creator-God who fashioned His universe, probably in the image of His own Heavenly realm. We believe He then placed humans, made in His image—He is a spiritual Trinity, was as earthly families—in this very good universe to manage it for Him.
We believe that human pride led them to attempt to usurp God's authority as Ruler of the universe, and in consequence both humans and the universe have been corrupted and damaged, and that we are condemned to be destroyed.
We believe that God, in His omniscience, anticipated a rebellion, and had already formed a plan that would redeem humankind and the scarred universe. This plan would evolve through a chosen servant (Abraham), a chosen nation (Israel), a body of divine law, a series of divinely-controlled tribulations, a message proclaimed by chosen prophets, a personal visit to the earth by God's own Son, His death and resurrection.
We believe that God requires a total stewardship of our personal selves, our time, our gifts, and our treasure; our families and any friends we may influence to join us in His holy work; He expects that total stewardship to call us to personal piety and to social action.
"We believe that we are privileged to be partners with God in the redeeming of the damaged human race and the bruised universe."
We believe that when God completed His love-act redeeming us, He then ordained us as His witnesses to the entire world, and equipped us to witness by sending His Holy Spirit among us.
Our Purpose
History & Mission
Our Mission
It is the mission of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church to be a worshiping, witnessing and welcoming congregation committed to a spirit of excellence in the praise of the Almighty God through Jesus Christ; the Christian Education of children, youth and adults for the maturation in the faith; and worldwide ministry for the promotion of peace and justice in every aspect of life. To this end, all people will be touched and transformed by the liberating power of God's Holy Spirit.
Our Beginning
In March of 1962, 13 pioneering worshipers assembled in the lounge of Texas Southern University's Baptist Student Union for the sole purpose of establishing an ecclesiastical form of expression through which the worship of God and service to mankind could co-exist. The congregation currently known as Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church became the avenue through which those assembled would express their faith and extend hope to others.
In His inimitable Grace, God supplied every need for the developing congregation. From the trustworthy courage of the original 13 to the undaunted hope of over 12,000, God has continued to faithfully increase the number of sheep in the flock.
Pastor Emeritus William A. Lawson
Representing the Trinitarian reality of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Pastor William A. Lawson led the congregation to conceptualize ministry outreach to the "triangle" that borders the geographical locale of the church in the Third Ward of Houston, Texas. As God's Grace abounds, the original unrelenting commitment to shine the light of Jesus throughout the Third Ward is continuously evolving in the service of the Wheeler Avenue ministries.
After 42 years of spiritual leadership in the congregation of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, Founding Pastor, the Reverend William A. Lawson, announced in the anniversary worship on June 6, 2004 that he was prepared to pass the staff to another Shepherd.
Rev. Dr. Marcus D. Cosby
As God had preordained in His will and through His benevolence, the Congregation elected the pulpit committee's sole candidate, the Rev. Dr. Marcus D. Cosby, who had served as Associate Pastor for six years. It has become patently clear that God has commissioned Senior Pastor Cosby to develop the ministry and the people of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in this season of her existence.
Early in the tenure of Pastor Cosby's Commission to the spiritual leadership of Wheeler Avenue, he instituted a grace-filled journey with an intimate familial character through establishment of a five-summer Family Plan Bible Study. A primary focus of this commissioned servant is the uplifting and strengthening of the home flock for the work of the ministry.
Our Growth & Facilities
The Southern Baptists graced the church with her first sanctuary, later known as "The Chapel," in 1962. The growth of the Wheeler Avenue Complex over the years has, indeed, been a testament to the incomparable deeds of our God.
He has favored His flock with a ministry complex consisting of a prayer chapel, a scout house, a sanctuary for worship, a shipping and receiving facility, and the William A. Lawson Christian Life Center and Community Life Center, all of which were consecrated for the work of ministry during the 41st church anniversary.