Big Bethel AME Church is Atlanta's oldest Black church and one of Sweet Auburn's defining institutions, recognized by generations of Atlantans by the illuminated JESUS SAVES message atop its historic Auburn Avenue sanctuary. If you're from Atlanta, you've probably seen the words. JESUS SAVES. Sitting high above Auburn Avenue, that sign belongs to one of the most important churches in the city's history.

Big Bethel traces its roots to 1847, before Emancipation and before Atlanta became anything resembling the Black metropolis we know today. The congregation developed from enslaved worshippers associated with the early Union Church and eventually established its own house of worship. Over the generations, Big Bethel became so connected to the civic life of Auburn Avenue that it earned the nickname “City Hall of Sweet Auburn.”

Its influence stretches into education, politics, social justice and Black arts. The church's Heaven Bound religious folk drama dates to 1930 and became an enduring Atlanta cultural tradition. And again, this isn't merely history. Big Bethel remains an active AME congregation, now led by Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine, who was appointed senior pastor in 2025 and is leading a new period of revitalization and renewed social-justice engagement.