Believe, Belong, Become at The 5th
Fifth Street Missionary Baptist Church, known affectionately as "The 5th," sits at 801 NE 5th Street in Oklahoma City, just east of downtown and a short walk from the State Capitol. The congregation describes itself as a faith-driven, multicultural, and multigenerational community, and its three-word motto - Believe, Belong, Become - hangs over everything it does. Its working vision is simple and bold: "Equipping CHANGED people to CHANGE the world!"
The church has been shepherded for more than a quarter century by Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. A. Byron Coleman III, who accepted the call to Fifth Street in June 1998. The 5th is more than a Sunday gathering. It is a community rooted in Oklahoma City's African American history, active in outreach to the homeless, and serious about forming disciples across every stage of life.
From a Front Parlor to a Sanctuary on Fifth Street
Fifth Street's story begins in the late 1920s, when a small group of believers left St. John Baptist Church and began meeting at the home of Sister Pearl R. Williams at 1001 N.E. 2nd Street. They called their new fellowship Mount Rose Baptist Church, and Rev. S.S. Jones was called as the first pastor, serving the balance of 1929.
Robert H. Rolfe, one of the founding members, purchased land at the corner of Fifth and Phillips, and the men of the church built the first modest worship space toward the back of the lot, near the alley. On August 4, 1929, the congregation marched in procession from the Odd Fellows Hall at 529 1/2 N.E. 4th Street to the new location for their very first services.
A succession of pastors shaped the church through the Depression and the mid-century: Rev. J.L. Hawkins (1930), Rev. S.C. Roberts (1931), Rev. W.M. Dixon (1932 to 1933), Rev. C.T. Andrews (1934 to 1938), and then Rev. J.H. Winn, who arrived in November 1938 and immediately inspired the members to build a sanctuary that faced Fifth Street. The church grew steadily, and under Rev. J.B. Bratton Jr., who became pastor in 1954, ground was broken in 1961 for expanded educational and worship facilities. The building was completed in 1962 by Bro. G. M. Dodson.
Later pastors - Rev. R.M. Leffall, Rev. J.T. Wilson (under whom the mortgage was paid off in just seven years, in 1969), Rev. N. Lawrence Liggins Sr., Rev. James O. Bradford, and Rev. Fred Elkins - each left their mark. Elkins oversaw a three-year multipurpose building plan that produced the groundbreaking for the Fellowship Hall on June 26, 1994. The hall was completed by Bro. William Moore and dedicated November 2, 1997, just months before Pastor Coleman's arrival.
Pastor Coleman's teaching on tithing and faithfulness enabled the congregation to "Burn the Mortgage" on the Fellowship Hall on December 3, 2006, well ahead of the contracted thirty-year schedule.
The Pulpit at The 5th
Rev. Dr. A. Byron Coleman III has served as senior pastor since 1998. A Morehouse College graduate with a B.S. in Sociology, he holds a Master of Divinity from Palmer Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from New York Theological Seminary, where his dissertation examined the influence of the Black church on the scholastic achievement of Black students. He serves as an Adjunct Professor in the African and African-American Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma and as chaplain for the Oklahoma City Thunder, offering spiritual guidance and life coaching to professional athletes. He is a member of the NAACP, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Prince Hall Masons (King David Lodge), and Sigma Pi Phi (The Boulé), and was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College.
His wife, Rev. Dr. Sharri Mattison Coleman, is Minister of Music and leads the Women's Ministry. A trained podiatrist, dynamic speaker, and published author, she earned her Master of Theological Studies from Phillips Theological Seminary in 2024. She teaches in the Clara Luper African and African-American Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma and writes at the Soul 2 Sole Doctor blog, where she explores the connection between soul and soles. She is the author of Gained Everything Without Giving Up Anything.
Rev. Keith Jossell serves as associate minister. An ordained minister with a background in accounting from Loyola University New Orleans and an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, he holds a Master of Arts in Social Justice from Phillips Theological Seminary and is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry there in Black Church Traditions and Public Proclamation. His ministry centers on identity, family, and community transformation.
Rev. Dawn Bowles, a native of Petersburg, Virginia, serves as Youth Pastor. With twenty-five years in education and ministry, she has held roles including Minister of Music, Sunday School and Bible Study teacher, Director of Christian Education, Youth Pastor, Assistant Pastor, and Senior Pastor. A Hampton University graduate, she also holds degrees from Yale Divinity School, the University of Missouri, and Walden University. She is the founder of the Proud to Partner Leadership Academy in Oklahoma City and recently received the "Outstanding Women in Our Community" award from the Oklahoma City chapter of Chums, Incorporated.
Sunday Mornings and Midweek Momentum
Sunday worship begins at 10:30 AM at the church on NE 5th Street. For those who cannot attend in person, the service is carried into homes through a Virtual Sanctuary streamed live on Facebook Live and YouTube, an offering the church has built into its regular rhythm.
Midweek, two gatherings keep the week anchored. On Wednesdays at 12:00 PM, Noon Day Prayer brings the community together by phone. Worshipers dial 267-807-9601 (access pin 484888#), share prayer requests with Pastor Coleman, and pause for a heartfelt moment of prayer together. Then on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM, Midweek Motivation streams live with Pastor Coleman, offering a spiritual boost to recharge the second half of the week with faith, inspiration, and encouragement.
The church also offers Vacation Bible School each summer, with online sign-ups for children and families.
A Place for Every Stage of Life
Fifth Street's ministries are designed to meet people where they are, from the nursery through the college years and into marriage, midlife, and beyond.
The Music and Fine Arts Ministry is one of the most visible expressions of the church's life. It includes the Sunday worship team, youth choir, young adult choir, praise dance team, and mass choir, drawing musicians and dancers of every generation into the same act of worship.
Children's Church works to make each child's experience safe, fun, and rooted in growing to know, show, and share God's love. Teen Church, called 180 Degrees, gives middle and high school students their own space to wrestle with faith and identity. The Youth Ministry under Rev. Dawn Bowles extends that work across the week.
For college students in the metro Oklahoma City area, the College and Higher Education Ministry provides spiritual support, mentoring, and career counseling, serving as a bridge between the classroom and the church family.
The Marriage Enrichment Ministry walks alongside engaged and married couples through educational seminars, social events, and the long-running annual "Love Lab" retreat, one of the signature outreach efforts under Pastor Coleman. The Women's Ministry empowers women through service, fellowship, evangelism, and discipleship, with its own dedicated gatherings throughout the year. There is also a Men's Ministry, a Young Adult Ministry, and a New Members Ministry to help newcomers find their footing.
Outside the walls, the church maintains active outreach to the homeless in the Oklahoma City area, an extension of its commitment to serving neighbors in practical need.
Giving, Streaming, and the Fifth Street Store
Fifth Street teaches that giving is an act of worship, and it offers several ways to contribute. The church accepts online giving through PayPal, Cash App ($attthefifth), and Givelify. A dedicated Give to the Fifth page brings all three options together, and offerings are also received at the building itself.
The Fifth Street Store carries church-branded items and event tickets. The "I'm Rooted" tee, available in a wide range of sizes, features gold-toned lettering and a root illustration inspired by Psalm 1:1-3 and is available for church pickup. Limited Charcuterie and Conversation tickets also support church gatherings.
For those who cannot be present on Sunday morning or Wednesday evening, the Virtual Sanctuary connects directly to the live streams, and the YouTube channel archives past services for catch-up viewing.
Civil Rights Roots and Community Icons
Fifth Street's history is woven into Oklahoma City's civil rights story. Sister Clara Luper, the teacher who organized the city's sit-in movement and helped desegregate lunch counters and other public spaces in the late 1950s and early 1960s, was a member of Fifth Street, as were several of the young people who marched with her. Before desegregation, many minority business owners in the city belonged to Fifth Street, and some of those businesses - including Rolfe Funeral Home, Moore Construction, Moon Construction, and Florence's Restaurant - remain community icons today.
That legacy of leadership, education, and entrepreneurship continues to shape the church's identity. In recent years, the University of Oklahoma named its African and African-American Studies program after Clara Luper, where both Pastor Coleman and Rev. Dr. Sharri Coleman now teach. The Colemans' sons, Chandler Avery and Courtland Alexander, are part of the next generation growing up inside The 5th.
Across nearly a century on Fifth Street, the congregation has held fast to a vision first articulated by its founders in 1929: to be a transformed church that is transforming the world. The pews may have been rebuilt, the fellowship hall may have been paid off years early, and the livestream may now carry the sermon across the city and beyond - but the calling at the heart of Fifth Street Missionary Baptist Church remains the same.