
About us
History of Antioch Baptist Christian Church
…and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. (Acts 11:16)
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The vision to start a church was placed in the hearts and minds of Rev. Dr. M. J. and the late Rev. A. D. Waddell in 2003. After a period of intense prayer and seeking God for direction, they reached out to other like-minded persons of faith, whom God had already chosen to become founders of this new church plant. Those who heard God and committed to becoming founders of Antioch Baptist Christian Church included ten adults and their children, namely: Delores Heard (Bell) and her son Aaron; Rosalind Billingsley, Shirley Billingsley, Carolyn Cratic, Yolander Jones and her sons Anthony and Malcolm; Pamela and George A. Lane, IV and their children Ashli and Tristen J. McLendon; Phyllis Fears Morrison; Vanessa Owens and her children Troy Breaux, Jr. and Ella Coleman; and Carolyn White. With the inclusion of Rev. A. D. and Rev. Dr. M. J. Waddell, these twelve adults and seven children stepped out of God’s word and united to found ABCC. The late Rev. A. D. and Rev. Dr. M.J. were chosen by Go to become the Chief Servant Leaders of the church.
The inaugural service was held on Sunday, February 1, 2004, and was held in the home of the Pastors, soon to be named 1st Sanctuary. ABCC was established as a ‘home church,’ who continued to conduct full ministry and worship. It was there in 1st Sanctuary that the full slate of ministries and outreach were conducted…weekly worship, Tuesday Bible Study, weekly prayer meetings, business and training sessions, counseling, Children’s Church, Teen and Young Adult ministries, and special events.
On Sunday, April 30, 2006, the worshiping community of ABCC joyfully marched into a new sanctuary space, located at 2001 Martin L. King Jr. Drive, Atlanta. The larger space gave ABCC the openings for increase. From two Pastors, the clergy staff increased to include five more persons who accepted their call into the licensed and ordained ranks of ministry. The membership increased exponentially, and an explosion of lay ministries evolved to serve the larger community.
With ABCC firmly established in Atlanta, the Lord revealed the vision to plant another ABCC church and worship opportunity in Hinesville, Georgia. Thus, it was on January 4, 2015, that ABCC @ Hinesville was founded, with twenty persons uniting as members. From January 2015 to December 2017, ABCC @ Hinesville continued to flourish as a community of faith. Although, the last worship service was held in 2017, the Hinesville congregation has continued their membership and association with ABCC in Atlanta.
ABCC’s ministry expanded a third time in 2019 through its virtual ministry. It was from the virtual ministry, that ABCC has gained members from around the world…New York, New Jersey, Florida, the Caribbean, and Europe.
Once upon a time, God brough together a diverse group of believers and commissioned them to come together to worship God, to spread the Good News about Jesus Christ and to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. From the very beginning to the present moment ABCC has been on a journey of faith. What began as a small band of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ has grown into a larger diverse community of faith that is built on the solid rock of Jesus Christ!
“Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers…” (Acts 13” 1 (a)
Meet our pastor:

Rev. Dr. Maxine J. Waddell
Senior Pastor
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Dr. Maxine Waddell is an ordained Baptist minister, who was licensed to the ministry in 1999 under the leadership of Rev. O. L. Blackshear, Senior Pastor of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2001, she successfully achieved the status of ordination, and was duly consecrated to function as a Pastor in her rights. She is currently serving in her eighteenth (18) year as the Senior Pastor of Antioch Baptist Christian Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
Her vocational calling as the Senior Pastor was preceded by leadership positions in other faith communities. Included among these are: Associate Minister at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Atlanta; Minister of Christian Education at Liberty Baptist Church in Atlanta; Director of the ABCC Women’s Ministry; Co-leader of the Education Forum for the Concerned Black Clergy of Atlanta; Founder of Tapestry Women’s Ministry International, Inc.; Chair of the Board of Directors for AJAMM Ministries International in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Her many outreach opportunities include serving as Project Manager for the Age-ing Initiative under Faith Partnerships Inc., founding and managing the Women in Red Organization, organizing Sister Preachers Inc. and initiating and starting the Bible Book Club. Dr. Waddell collaborated with the Black Women in Church and Society office at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia from 2009 - 2012, where she served as a Learning Resource Consultant to other clergywomen.
In addition to her position as the Senior Pastor of Antioch Baptist Christian Church, Dr. Waddell founded and currently serves as Director and CEO of Tapestry Women’s Ministry International, Inc., a national initiative whose purpose is to equip, empower and position women to serve in faith communities throughout the nation. She is also a Board Member on the Rev. Dr. J. Sherman Pelt Foundation, Inc., a non-profit that funds scholarships within the Black faith community for persons seeking undergraduate and graduate degrees. She also serves in the position Treasurer for Friends in Fellowship, a collective of six ministries whose goal is to empower others through the sharing of good news.
Dr. Waddell has been privileged to make two pilgrimages to the Holy Land, one in 2000 and the other in 2008. While there, she was able to visit the pyramids in Egypt, to climb to the top of Mt. Sinai, to take a walking tour of Jerusalem, to trace the steps of Jesus as He walked along the Via Dolorosa to the cross and to see and experience the place of His Crucifixion.
Her recent ministerial exploits have afforded her the opportunity to minister in churches throughout the United States. Her preaching vitae is extensive. She is humbled to serve as God’s appointed prophetic voice to all of God’s people, declaring the Good News wherever she goes with the power of the anointing of the Lord.
God has blessed Dr. Waddell to receive several academic degrees, all earned degrees from accredited institutions of higher learning. These degrees include: a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, where she wrote her thesis on The Power of the Laity and Lay Ministries; a Master of Divinity degree from the Morehouse School of Religion at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia with a major concentration in Biblical Studies and Languages and a secondary concentration in Church Administration and Management; the Juris Doctorate degree from Boston University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts and the Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida A & M University in Tallahassee, Florida. But the degree that means the most to her is the degree of salvation that came with her confession and belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.