Evanston Baptist Church exists as a local body of believers professing the Gospel, serving the community, and equipping believers to engage culture in order to impact the world for Christ.
Evanston Baptist Church was planted by Senior Pastor Dr. Mark Coppenger. Our first service was held on September 10, 2000. We began meeting at the YWCA on Ridge Avenue in Evanston. Since EBC was without its own baptistry, Rev. Norwood and the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, located just blocks away, graciously allowed us to share theirs. During this time, we started our BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministry) group at Northwestern University and started our Sunday lunches. Beginning Sunday, February 5, 2006, Evanston Baptist Church moved our Sunday services to the historic Fountain Square Building, located at 1601 Sherman Ave in Downtown Evanston.
Who We Are
Pastor Mark Coppenger
Our pastor, Mark Coppenger, Ph.D., has been a college teacher, an army officer, a seminary president, a magazine editor, and a denominational executive. He's done short-term mission tours in South America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. He earned the Ph.D. in philosophy at Vanderbilt University and the M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He's published two books in ethics, chapters in other books, and articles in a variety of periodicals. Having taught at Wheaton College, he returns to the Chicago area as a church planter on the North Shore. In addition to pastoring, he also serves as Professor of Christian Apologetics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a regular contributor to Baptist Press.
The arts have always played an important role in the EBC fellowship. The church has hosted many concerts, performances, and art exhibitions throughout its history, and has recently spawned a band that performs original music in venues throughout Chicago. Visitors to our meeting space will encounter paintings, photography, and original music that expresses the heart of a community of faith through the creative gifts God has granted his Church.