A Bilingual Beacon in North Jersey Since 1893
Madison Avenue Baptist Church sits at 900 Madison Avenue in Paterson, New Jersey, three blocks off Interstate 80, drawing members from the city and surrounding towns of Passaic County and beyond. Members travel from more than ten countries to call this bilingual Baptist church home, with most of the congregation coming from Latin American backgrounds. The result is a congregation where English and Spanish carry equal weight in worship, fellowship, and pastoral care, and where a first-time visitor is as likely to hear a Spanish hymn as an English one on any given Sunday.
The church has been proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in Paterson for more than 130 years. Its mission is summarized in a single line: Developing mature Disciples of Jesus. The pastor, Eric Pardine, preaches expository messages from books of the Bible, including a recent series through Matthew, and the congregation regularly streams services in both English and Spanish on YouTube. The church is currently seeking to hire a youth pastor to oversee its middle and high school ministry.
Since 1893 on Madison Avenue
Madison Avenue Baptist Church was founded in 1893 and has remained at the same Paterson location through more than a century of change in North Jersey. Over the years, faithful pastors have shepherded the ministry, and the church has celebrated countless baptisms, weddings, and additions to its body. Generations of Paterson families have been part of the story, and the church still describes itself as a beacon of faith for the city.
The name on the door reflects the location: Madison Avenue Baptist Church, with the short form MABC used throughout its materials. The church sees its long history not as a museum piece but as an ongoing call. Its stated desire is to remain a lighthouse in Paterson until the return of the Lord Jesus, and to keep extending God's love to the city, the surrounding communities, and the world.
A Multilingual Church Family
More than a century after its founding, Madison Avenue Baptist is a multicultural and bilingual church body. People from Paterson and many surrounding towns gather here, representing more than ten countries, with the majority of the congregation coming from Latin America. The church's ministries are intentionally bilingual, and its youth gatherings welcome students from English and Spanish-speaking backgrounds.
This multilingual character shapes the weekly schedule. The same building hosts two distinct Sunday services in two languages, plus a Spanish Wednesday service. Members who grew up speaking Spanish at home and English at work find both rhythms under one roof, and newcomers who speak only one language are welcomed into a service in their own tongue.
Sundays: Spanish at 9:00, English at 10:45
On Sunday mornings, the church runs two back-to-back worship services. The Sunday Spanish Service begins at 9:00 am, and the Sunday English worship service begins at 10:45 am. Children's classes run during the English service, so families can worship together while younger children are cared for in their own classes.
The services follow an expository preaching pattern, working through books of the Bible. Recent sermon series on the YouTube channel have covered Matthew 20 through Matthew 22, including sermons titled The Calvary Road, Responding to Loss, God Is One, and Many Are Called, Few Are Chosen. Parallel Spanish messages such as El camino del calvario, Respondiendo Ante La Pérdida, and Dios es uno are posted alongside the English versions. The full archive makes it easy to catch up on a missed Sunday or to revisit a teaching.
Wednesday Nights: Youth, Young Adults, and a Spanish Service
Wednesday evenings at 7:30 pm are reserved for three parallel gatherings, all happening at the same time on the Madison Avenue campus. There is a Spanish-language midweek service, the IMPACT youth ministry for middle and high school students, and Pathfinders, the young adult ministry for people in their twenties and thirties.
The IMPACT youth ministry is bilingual, designed for middle and high school students from both English and Spanish-speaking backgrounds. Through energetic gatherings, meaningful discussions, and events, the ministry helps teenagers navigate the challenges of adolescence while building friendships and growing in their faith. Pathfinders, meanwhile, is built around the transitions of young adulthood: starting a career, pursuing a degree, or figuring out next steps. The group gathers for uplifting conversations, inspiring worship, small groups, and events tailored to people in their twenties and thirties.
Children: Olympians
Children's ministry at Madison Avenue Baptist is called Olympians. The team describes it as a place where every child is treated as a unique gift from God and where the goal is to nurture their spiritual journey in a fun, engaging way. Through creative lessons, games, and age-appropriate activities, children from toddlers through pre-teens discover God's love, build friendships, and learn biblical life lessons in a safe and loving environment.
Olympians runs during the 10:45 am English worship service so that parents can attend the main service while their children are in age-appropriate classes. Nursery facilities are also part of the church's building, supporting younger families on Sunday mornings and during other events.
Marriage Ministry
For couples at every stage, MABC runs a marriage ministry that walks alongside newlyweds and longtime spouses alike. Through small groups, workshops, and couples' retreats, the ministry offers a Christ-centered space to grow together, find encouragement, and connect with other couples. The aim is lasting love and unity through Christ, whether a couple has been married for a year or for decades.
Young Adults and Career: Pathfinders
Life in the twenties and thirties is full of big transitions, and the Pathfinders ministry is built for that season. It is described as a space to grow in faith, build meaningful relationships, and find purpose while starting a career, pursuing a degree, or simply figuring out next steps. The ministry offers engaging gatherings, small groups, and events tailored to young adults. The tone of the ministry is welcoming and warm, with an open invitation: Your journey is just beginning; we can't wait to be a part of it!
What Madison Avenue Baptist Believes
The church's statement of faith is unusually detailed and sets out what the congregation teaches and practices. It begins with the Bible: MABC accepts the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments as the very Word of God, complete, final, and without error as originally given, and the only infallible and authoritative rule of faith and practice.
The church affirms one God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory. It teaches that Jesus Christ is the eternal Word, begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, that He lived without sin, died on the cross as the substitute for sinners, rose bodily from the grave, ascended into Heaven, and now serves as the great High Priest and only Intercessor for those who receive Him. The Holy Spirit is confessed as the third person of the Trinity who convicts of sin, regenerates, indwells, seals, empowers, guides, teaches, and sanctifies every believer.
MABC holds to the historic Baptist doctrine of salvation by grace through faith: that salvation is the free gift of God, received only by personal faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, and that, because it is a divine work, it is eternal and cannot be lost. The church also affirms the total depravity of man, the bodily resurrection of all people, eternal life for the saved in Heaven, and everlasting conscious punishment for the unsaved.
The church teaches that a New Testament church is a local, autonomous assembly of baptized believers, accountable directly to God and free from outside ecclesiastical interference. The biblical offices are pastors (also called elders or bishops) and deacons, and the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. Two ordinances are observed: baptism by immersion for those who profess faith in Jesus, and the Lord's Supper as a continuing memorial of Christ's broken body and shed blood.
Marriage, in MABC's teaching, is ordained by God as a covenant exclusively between one man and one woman, and the church and its pastors will only participate in, host, or celebrate weddings on their properties that reflect that definition.
Inside the Building on Madison Avenue
The church's campus is set up for both ministry and fellowship. Facilities include spacious Sunday school rooms for children's classes, a full gymnasium, a large parking lot, a fully equipped kitchen, and nursery facilities. Together, these spaces allow MABC to host its Sunday services, midweek ministries, retreats, workshops, and community meals, and to welcome both small gatherings and large events.
The building sits at 900 Madison Avenue, just three blocks from Interstate Route 80, placing it within easy reach of Paterson and many of its neighboring communities. The large parking lot makes arriving by car straightforward, even for the busier English service.
Connect, Worship, Proclaim
Madison Avenue Baptist organizes its life around a three-fold vision: Connect, Worship, and Proclaim.
- Connect means helping people the church already knows to find a connection with Jesus Christ and with His Church.
- Worship means helping new believers understand their role as worshipers in Spirit and in truth, and growing in their spiritual lives.
- Proclaim means reaching out to people the church does not yet know, in its multicultural community and beyond, through evangelistic outreach and worldwide support and missions.
The same three words show up in the church's prayer for itself: that MABC would be a community where a powerful encounter with God in prayer becomes the norm, where relationships are authentic and life-giving, and where local and global outreach flows naturally out of loving God and loving one another.
Beyond Paterson: Missions Across Five Continents
MABC's reach extends well beyond Paterson. The church actively supports missionary outreach across five continents, partnering with missionaries and ministries locally and abroad. Members are encouraged to pray for missionaries, give to missions, and consider short-term service themselves. Job openings and volunteer opportunities are also available, including an open youth pastor position supervised by Pastor Eric Pardine and volunteer opportunities for cleaning, repair, and other practical service.
Sermons and Giving Online
The full archive of recent sermons lives on the Madison Avenue Baptist Church YouTube channel, where English and Spanish messages are uploaded regularly. Visitors who cannot attend in person, or who want to revisit a recent message, can find livestreamed services and past sermons there.
Giving is available online through the church's giving platform, and gifts can also be sent through Zelle to mabc@aol.com. Donations are used for the general expenses of the church unless otherwise specified, and members can also volunteer their time and talents to support the work of the ministry.
Visiting Madison Avenue Baptist
Anyone planning a first visit will find Sunday mornings the easiest entry point. The Spanish service starts at 9:00 am and the English service at 10:45 am, with children's classes during the English hour. Wednesday at 7:30 pm is the night for the Spanish service, IMPACT youth, and Pathfinders young adults. The church's building offers a large parking lot, nursery facilities, and accessible ministry spaces for all ages. A Save Me a Seat form lets visitors let the church know they are coming so someone can meet them, show them around, and point them to the coffee.
Madison Avenue Baptist Church remains, after more than a century on Madison Avenue, a warm, bilingual Baptist congregation whose heartbeat is the same now as it has always been: to develop mature disciples of Jesus Christ in Paterson and beyond.