Welcome to the Detroit Church Project

The Detroit Church Project is dedicated to preserving records and memories from the religious history of one of the United State's oldest and most diverse cities, focusing particularly on the African-American churches that were created during the 1930's and 1940's in the wake of the Great Migration.

The Project is currently in the process of accumulating:

  • A collection of digitized historical documents (sermons, bulletins, pamphlets, posters, etc.) from a variety of Churches in Detroit

  • A series of histories of individual churches in Detroit

  • Oral interviews of parishioners of Detroit congregations


The ultimate goal of the project is to gain a perspective on the history of Detroit, with both its successes and failures, through the churches that often provided a framework for its neighborhoods and communities. Through understanding the history of these churches we aim to enrich our understanding of the history of Detroit; through engaging the congregations of these churches we aim to relate to the greater community of the Detroit; through preserving the documents and memories of these churches we aim to safeguard the rich historical legacy of Detroit.
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