Mt. Zion, a Missionary Baptist Church, was organized February 14, 1947 in the home of the founding pastor, Reverend William A. Randle and his wife, at 1411 NW 19th Street. Reverend Randle pastored until 1982. Reverend James Milton Lawson, Sr., succeeded Reverend Randle in 1982 and served until 1985.
The property on which the original building was erected at 1407 NW 19th Street was owned by Rev. and Mrs. Randle. In 1958, they donated the property to the church and the county records were changed to reflect the church as owner and the usage was recorded as a place of worship. The church was renamed New Mt. Zion Baptist.
From 1969 to 1972, Rev. Randle took a leave of absence to do other ministerial work. During his absence, Rev. Nick Jackson, Rev. Willie Dodd and Rev. James Bailey served as interim pastors. Rev. Randle returned to the pulpit in late 1971. The congregation renamed the church, Greater New Mt. Zion. Mrs. Randle served faithfully in several capacities, from the inception of the church, until the Lord called her home in February 1980. Rev. Randle continued to serve until his health began to fail in 1982. He recommended Rev. James M. Lawson, Sr. as his successor. The recommendation was accepted by the members and Rev. Lawson served as pastor from 1982 to 1985. Pastor Jesse T. Hardeman, Sr., was called as shepherd over this flock in December 1985, at the recommendation of Rev. Lawson. He served until his retirement in December 2019.
Under the leadership of Pastor Hardeman, God rewarded his faithfulness to the ministry and many accepted Christ in their lives. Two church buildings were constructed to accommodate the growing membership. He licensed seven ministers (Willie B. King; Dedric M. Morris; Julius Sheppard; Aaron J. Bailey, James E. Mason, Jr.; Christopher K. Warren and Tony Grant). Two of the ministers were ordained, Julius Sheppard and Tony Grant. Seven deacons were ordained under Pastor Hardeman: Odell Ollison; Timothy Anderson, Sr.; Willie Anderson; Gregory Owens; Bobby R. Bailey; Joe W. Jones and Amos Kingsberry.
This church body is affiliated with the Guadalupe District Association, the San Antonio Baptist Association, the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the National Baptist Convention of America.
Our current real estate holdings are four lots on NW 19th Street and five lots on Micklejohn Street. As we grow, we are believing the Lord for additional property on NW 19th Street and other surrounding streets in the area.
