Baptist Church of the Covenant

Baptist Church of the Covenant is a Baptist church located at 2117 University Blvd, at the intersection of 22nd Street South. The church formed in 1970 after splitting from the First Baptist Church of Birmingham, primarily over the issue of race.

When the church formed, they initially met at Temple Emanu-el with Herbert Gilmore serving as pastor. Soon, they moved into their current facility on University Boulevard. In the 1990s, the church built a sanctuary on this property.

In 2002, Baptist Church of the Covenant called Sarah Jackson Shelton as pastor. This was both celebrated and criticized as Shelton was one of the first females called to be pastor of a Baptist church in Alabama. Around the same time, some churches in the Birmingham Baptist Association sought to have the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message embraced by the Association, which prohibits women serving as pastor. This was not adopted by the Association, and the Baptist Church of the Covenant is affiliated with the local Association, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and the Alliance of Baptists.

Pastors:

• Herbert Gilmore
• Roger Lovette
• Sarah Jackson Shelton