Today we’d like to introduce you to Pastor Lou McElroy.
Hi Pastor Lou, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After graduating from Prairie View A&M, with a B.B.A., I immediately went to work at the General Motors Corporation as an Account Executive. After several years in corporate America, I came to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and my Savior. It was at that point that I realized that the trajectory that I had for my life had changed and that God purposefully put me on another. I joined Chosen Fellowship Ministries, where I served under the leadership of Pastor Michael Alexander and was ordained into the ministry in 2003. It was in the same year that I began to work for the General Electric Corporation’s Healthcare Division, as an executive with responsibility over the Texas Medical Center. After 8 years at Chosen Fellowship Ministries as an Associate Pastor, I was then led to join Bibleway Missionary Baptist Church, in Houston’s downtown Freedmen’s Town, under the leadership of Pastor O. B. Brown. It was during this time that I met my wife, Jackie Bosic-McElroy, who was a member of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in 2010, in which we began our courtship in 2013. We were then married in 2016 and after 8 years of servicing as an Associate Pastor at Bibleway Missionary Baptist Church, I joined my wife at Antioch in 2017. It was during the pandemic in October of 2020, that I was elected to the position of Interim Pastor of Antioch, with the offer of Sr. Pastor in December of 2021.
I attribute my corporate career with a foundation in leadership, business administration, service, finance as well as teamwork. I have an extensive background in the study of theology as well as business development and is six-sigma certified.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Life is full of obstacles and challenges. One of the major challenges that I faced early on was the navigation of such a historic church who at that time was 153 years old through the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic caused a major shift in all aspects of everyday life, including how individuals attended and participated in church. There were challenges economically that all churches faced as well as those challenges that affected longterm traditions. With a 17 year career in Healthcare at the General Electric Corporation, I realized that the first thing that I had to do was to keep all members of our congregation healthy. With that as my mission and objective, I felt that it was necessary to change the day to day operations from before to one that would accommodate our fellowship and worship in the midst of the pandemic. We put into practice non-traditional methods where our focus was on the health and well being of our membership, while maintaining our purpose and objective in teaching the Word of God. In hindsight, it were those decisions that was made by our leadership team that caused us to reevaluate our mission, strategy and objectives. Since then, we have been able to sustain a measurable outcome year after year in growth of our membership and community involvement.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We will celebrate 160 years as a church in January of 2026. As the Sr. Pastor of the oldest African American Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, one of the things that I am most proud of is to be the 14th Pastor of the same church, that my wife’s great-great-grandfather Jack Yate’s who was our first Pastor elected in 1868. To be able to share in the same ministry at the same church and in the same community after 159 years has been truly an extraordinary opportunity.
With the demographics of our community changing, as downtown continues to expand and as major corporations surrounding us, it is our outreach efforts as a church that brings joy to our church. Having been located on the same property over these many years, our church is in a prime location to provide service to those who are marginalized and underserved. To be able to share in the work of Jack Yates, who worked to found Freedmen’s Town so many years ago, brings a certain level of hope as we work to sustain his legacy and the church’s future. As a church, we support a local elementary school called The Gregory Lincoln Education Center, where we provide uniforms, school supplies, after school snacks. We assist the teachers and administrators as well as parents with fulfilling the basic requirements that prepare these kids for success in life.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
At the Antioch, we provide tours of our historic church, which consist of an oral presentation of our history and legacy, after which we walk in order to see the original works and applications that our former enslaved ancestors built, when they founded the church in January of 1866, 7 months after their liberation of June 19th, 1865. After the tour, we provide a talk back discussion in which an environment for dialogue about the effects of the tour can be discussed. We have hosted corporations, organizations, schools and individuals.
Also, as part of our community outreach, we welcome the community to partner with us as we prepare school supplies and snacks that we provide for the children of the community. Many have found this a way to attain community volunteer hours for their school or organization.
We accept donations that are used to support this ministry as we work in the downtown area of Houston to eradicate hunger and homelessness.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.antiochdowntown.com
