Texas Black Church Directory

The roots of Black worship in Texas

Black Texans formed worshipping communities while slavery still constrained where they could gather and who could lead them. In Galveston, five enslaved Baptists received permission in 1840 to meet separately. Their fellowship grew into the First Africa Church. A few blocks away, enslaved Methodists worshipped on a Broadway lot set aside in 1848.

After emancipation, freedom meant being able to choose a minister, hold church property and gather on a congregation’s own terms. In 1866 the Broadway property passed to the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The congregation, later named Reedy Chapel, became the mother church of African Methodism in Texas. In 1868 Galveston hosted the denomination’s first Texas conference.

Across Texas, Black congregations built schools, cared for neighbors and sustained civic organizing. The directory below follows those local stories across denominations.

Read further: Black churches in Texas · Reedy Chapel’s history · African Methodism in Texas

San Antonio’s Blackbook

Carl Booker’s Blackbook Directory & Yearbook documents Black community life in San Antonio. Turn to printed page 78 of the 2024 edition for church listings in San Antonio and Converse. The publisher also offers its 2025 edition.

Browse churches by city

Choose a city to filter the listings. Each entry links to its source. Print editions and historical markers document congregations at a point in time. Confirm service details with the church before visiting.

4 initial source-documented profiles · Texas only

The initial church profiles document public institutional histories, not the religion of any individual. Confirm worship times and services directly with the congregation. These are resource listings, not claimed partnerships.