New Progressive Missionary Baptist Church was organized by Rev. Samuel Wyatt on November 3, 1957 and has operated and served in the Auburn Gresham community since 1959. In 1961 Rev. Dr. Elzie Young was elected as Pastor and served for thirty-seven years. In 1998 Rev. Young retired and passed the torch to Rev. Herbert Lee, Jr. Rev. Lee faithfully served as Pastor of New Progressive for over twenty years until the Lord called him home on May 22, 2020. In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, New Progressive quickly restructured its services to a virtual format and is currently operating both in-person services as well as live streaming via Zoom and Facebook Live.
New Progressive is a loving, praying church, guided by the Holy Spirit with the goal of exemplifying Christ and valuing every member. New Progressive serves one of the most populated zip codes in the state of Illinois. With over 21% of families living in poverty in our area, we are focused on the well-being of the community through several outreach ministries.
We are not without our challenges, as we face a decline in membership and a lack of youth and young adult presence.
We are looking for our next Pastor to be in accordance with the Word of God, passionate about their service to Christ, and displaying a shepherd’s heart and the Fruit of the Spirit.