Fourth Missionary Baptist Church

Organized as Watts Chapel in 1877, Fourth Missionary Baptist Church was established by the Rev. Henry Watts, a native of South Carolina. Watts arrived in Houston that same year, and with the help of fellow Houston ministers and deacons, secured a place of worship on Commerce Street. In 1883, he and church trustees purchased land and moved the church to West Broadway, and the congregation changed its name to Fourth Missionary Baptist Church in 1884. The church moved again to a location at the corner of Dowling and Lamar, rebuilding after a storm destroyed their building in 1900, and again after a fire in 1910. Under the leadership of the Rev. Alex H. Branch, the church moved in 1927. When the Rev. Branch passed away in 1932, members elected his son, Elridge Stanley Branch, as pastor. During the Rev. Dr. E.S. Branch's pastorate, Fourth Missionary Baptist Church moved here (1946) and attained its status as a leading Christian institution. Members have helped Houston residents in a variety of ways, including a kindergarden (1941), well baby clinic, food clinics, programs to help the needy during Christmas and a low-income housing complex. The church has also focused on missions, working closely with a Baptist church in Panama, organizing Bella Vista Church on East 36th Street in Houston and ministering in Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad and the Philippines. The church has hosted the Missionary Baptist General Convention of Texas several times and in 1968 became the first black church to join the Union Baptist Association, an important step in the integration of churches in the state. Today, Fourth Missionary Baptist Church continues as a vital spiritual and social leader in Houston. (2007)

Fourth Missionary Baptist Church is a historical marker in Houston, Harris County, dedicated in 2007. It is one of 406 historical markers documented in Harris County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 781 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.7390, -95.3574 near Houston. The nearest cataloged historic site is Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Covington, Dr. Benjamin Jesse, Blue Triangle Branch, Y. W. C. A. Building, and Grand Court Order of Calanthe of Texas.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507014002. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.