Worship as Witness

By Trevor Hunter

Nestled in the heart of downtown Birmingham, Alabama, the 16th Street Baptist Church stands not only as a place of worship but also as a monument to American history, faith, and resilience. Established in 1873, the church quickly became a spiritual and civic cornerstone for the Black community in Birmingham. Yet it was the tragic bombing on September 15, 1963, when four young girls were killed by White supremacists, that forever etched this church into the national conscience. Today, the church remains a vibrant congregation that bridges memory and mission through worship that is both theologically rich and emotionally resonant.

To step into the 16th Street Baptist Church is to enter a space where worship is not simply a Sunday activity; it is a living testimony to Black faith, endurance, and hope. The telos, or the ultimate aim, of a worship service here goes far beyond praise or preaching. It is spiritual resilience formed through communal remembering and through faith in God’s justice. Every component of the service–prayer, music, Scripture, and the sanctuary itself–points toward this purpose, as the congregation gathers not just to glorify God but to reaffirm the dignity, strength, and prophetic witness of a people who have long faced injustice. (For more on the architecture see this earlier essay.)

The Telos of Worship: A Community Formed in Resilience

The worship at 16th Street Baptist does not seek to entertain or perform but to renew. As liturgical scholar James F. White notes, the goal of Christian worship is not merely celebration, but transformation. At 16th Street, this transformation happens through collective acts of remembrance, emotional expression, and theological affirmation.

A recent sermon titled “A Well of Wisdom” illustrated this beautifully. Drawing from John 4 and Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman, the Pastor Arthur Price articulated a theology of worth and spiritual awakening. Just as Jesus affirmed the outcast woman’s dignity, so too did the sermon affirm the value of those who have been historically marginalized.

This alignment of liturgy and social reality is part of what makes worship at 16th Street so powerful. The service is not an escape from the world’s pain but a way to name it and find a divine presence within it. The telos here is not simply doctrinal correctness but embodied hope. It is a form of holy remembering that fuels resistance and resilience in a broken world.

The Ethos: Sacred Hospitality and Collective Strength

The ethos of worship, its character, and emotional tone are equally powerful. The atmosphere is one of spiritual hospitality and mutual encouragement. Songs like “Blessed Assurance” and “Total Praise” fill the sanctuary, not just as performances but as affirmations of God’s presence in the lives of the people. Congregational responses during the sermon, “Amen,” “Preach,” “Take your time”, are not distractions but extensions of the sermon itself, turning monologue into sacred dialogue.

Even the physical space contributes to this ethos. The stained-glass windows, including the Wales Window for Alabama commemorating the four girls murdered in 1963, are not silent relics but active participants in the liturgy. Their presence invites worshippers to remember and recommit. The church doesn’t hide its scars, it sanctifies them.

This ethos of openness and shared experience is also intergenerational. Elders nod along with the sermon, middle-aged members sing with fervor, and children are visible throughout the pews. While leadership roles could more actively include the youth, the presence of all generations reflects a continuity that is rare and beautiful.

The Structure of the Service: From Invocation to Benediction

The order of worship at 16th Street Baptist Church is both traditional and dynamic, offering a familiar rhythm while making space for spontaneous expressions of the Spirit. The service typically begins with a call to worship, often led by a deacon or minister. This is followed by an ppening hymn, usually a beloved classic that sets the spiritual tone.

Next comes a Scripture reading, delivered with reverence, often accompanied by a responsive reading or congregational affirmation. Prayer is interspersed throughout, invocations, intercessions, and pastoral prayers, often calling attention to the needs of the community and the wider world.

Musical worship is central. Led by a choir or soloist, the music ranges from gospel anthems to contemplative hymns. During my visit, a solo rendition of songs became a sacramental moment, what Lim Swee-Hong and Lester Ruth would call an experiential encounter with God’s grace.

The sermon is a focal point, often expository but always deeply contextual. It weaves Scripture with lived experience, history with hope. Preaching at 16th Street is less about theological information and more about theological transformation, it is proclamation with purpose.

After the sermon, the service flows into a time of response, which may include prayer, invitations to discipleship, or community announcements. This is followed by a benediction, often a spoken blessing that sends the congregation back into the world with strength and peace.

Sacramentality: Encountering God in Everyday Acts

Although the church may not center its liturgy on the traditional sacraments each Sunday, the worship is deeply sacramental in nature. Lim and Ruth describe sacramental moments as those where God’s presence is encountered in tangible ways. At 16th Street, such moments abound—not only in the eucharist or baptism but in the music, the preaching, and even the passing of the peace.

Music, in particular, serves a sacramental role. It does not function as mere emotional filler but as a theological medium. The choir and soloists are not performers, they are prophets. Their voices carry more than melody; they carry memory, hope, and promise. They embody grace in song.

The sermon, too, becomes sacrament. As the preacher speaks of wells of wisdom and encounters at the margins, the congregation does not passively listen; they feel, respond, and are changed. This is worship not as a lecture, but as an encounter.

One of the most striking aspects of worship at 16th Street is its refusal to separate the sacred from society. The church’s history demands a liturgy that reminds us. And so, even when joy fills the room, it is a joy tinged with history. It is not joy that forgets suffering, but joy that overcomes it.

Reflections

Still, growth opportunities exist. The church could deepen its already strong worship by intentionally including younger members in leadership roles—reading Scripture, leading prayers, or singing. This would affirm the intergenerational ethos already present and prepare future leaders of the church.

Another area for growth is in creating explicit space for lament. While the joy is palpable, the church’s history and the world’s present pain call for intentional moments of communal sorrow. Responsive psalm readings, space for testimony, or even designated moments of silence could deepen the sacramental character of the service.

A Worship of Witness

What is most remarkable about the 16th Street Baptist Church is its ability to make the invisible visible. It transforms music into prophecy, preaching into healing, and memory into hope. It is a space where theology walks, where God is not just preached but felt, not just studied but encountered.

To worship here is not to visit a museum but to participate in a living, breathing resurrection. The building may be historic, but the Holy Spirit is very much present. Here, worship has not escaped, it is empowerment. It is not performance, it is participation in a story of survival, dignity, and unyielding faith.

And as I left the sanctuary, I carried this question with me: How does a church sustain such powerful worship without growing weary? How do we keep our worship real without allowing it to become ritualistic or routine?

These are not questions just for the 16th Street Baptist Church. They are questions for all of us who seek to worship in spirit and truth. The legacy of this church challenges every community of faith to remember, to resist, and to rejoice, and in so doing, to encounter God again.

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church
Location: 1530 6th Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203
Website: https://www.16thstreetbaptist.org
Video Archives: https://www.facebook.com/16thstreetbaptist/videos
Congregation established: 1873

References

Lim, Swee-Hong Lim and Lester Ruth. 2017. Lovin’ on Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship. Abingdon Press.

Trevor Hunter ‘27 was a student in Christian Worship: History & Theology in Samford University’s Department of Biblical and Religious Studies in spring 2025.

Published June 16, 2025.