The roots of Tindley Temple grew out of Zoar Methodist Episcopal Church when several families who lived south of Market Street began worshipping together in their homes on Rodman, Locust, South, Lombard, and Bainbridge Streets in the vicinity of South 8th Street, because "the walk to Zoar for south Philadelphia members became too taxing." According to congregational history, this group acquired a small building on Bainbridge Street (then called Shippen) just east of South 8th Street in 1837. The new church was known as John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church. The Delaware Conference was organized in this church in 1864. In 1882, the Old Bainbridge Methodist Episcopal Church at the corner of Bainbridge and Marvine was purchased and renamed Bainbridge Street Methodist Episcopal Church. A total of twenty-two pastors were assigned to John Wesley and Bainbridge Street churches before Rev. Charles Albert Tindley led the congregation.
In 1885, a man by the name of Charles A. Tindley became janitor of the church. Bom to slave parents on July 7, 1851, near Berlin, Maryland, Tindley taught himself to read and write, studied theology (including Greek and Hebrew) through correspondence courses from Boston University in order to pass the examination for ordination in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and eventually became Pastor of the church in 1902. Membership in the congregation began to rapidly increase shortly thereafter due to Tindley's talents as a preacher. A larger church, The Westminster Presbyterian Church on the Southwest corner of Broad and Fitzwater Streets, was purchased in 1905 to accommodate growing numbers of people attending services. In 1907, the congregation changed the name to Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church, only to have to change the name to East Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church in 1914 when another church in Philadelphia justified its prior claim to the same name.
As Tindley's reputation as a preacher continued to grow, so did the congregation. In 1924, the neighboring property was bought and construction began on what Tindley referred to as "God's Cathedral." Tindley explained to the congregation that the new church would generally conform to the description of the twelve-gated city as described in the Book of Revelation. In 1924, the name of the church was changed once again, this time to Tindley Temple, in honor of the distinguished Pastor. A court decree accomplished this on April 25, 1927.
The present church has a seating capacity of thirty-two hundred (3200). Many people came to worship. Two services were held each Sunday — one at night in order to accommodate more than ten thousand members. One of the outstanding features of the church is its organ — a Moler four manual organ in six divisions, it is one of three of its kind. It is one of the largest organs in the city of Philadelphia and has more than six thousand (6000) pipes. Tindley Temple has a reputation of music par excellence. Maestros who have served as ministers of music at Tindley are renowned in their own right. They are the late Kenneth Goodman, James E. M. Hoy, and Allen Foster and presently Theodore Thomas, Jr.
Rev. Charles Albert Tindley was a pioneering gospel composer, acknowledged as the "progenitor" of Black American gospel music. His songs reflect his abiding faith in God. Among the more than 50 Tindley compositions that remain popular today are: "We'll Understand It Better By and By" (1905), "Stand By Me" (1905), "Leave It There" (1916), "Let Jesus Fix It for You" (1923) and "Beams of Heaven" (1906). Tindley's "I'll Overcome Some Day," published in 1901, has been credited by numerous commentators as the basis for the Civil Rights anthem "We Shall Overcome (Some Day)."
Dr. Tindley was also a community leader. He founded the Second Emancipation League, a non-denominational organization that advocated for women's suffrage and the improvement of African American women's lives. Charles Tindley petitioned John Wanamaker to hire African American employees in his store. He was an activist leading the church to demonstrate against oppression and racism.
In addition to the ministry provided to the Philadelphia community, Tindley Temple is hallowed ground for African American Methodist churches. The Methodist Episcopal church resolved the issue of slavery by creating a segregated jurisdiction called the Delaware Conference. This conference was created at Tindley in 1864 and dismantled at Tindley Temple in 1964. In the years between African American Churches met together frequently at the church.
During the Depression, as was true of the nation, money problems plagued the congregation. The church rallied and developed a Soup Kitchen to feed and clothe the hungry and homeless. The soup kitchen won Philadelphia’s “Best Practice Award several times. The soup kitchen, one of the oldest in the city, remained in existence until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Ministry to the needy continues today in many forms.
At age 82, Dr. Tindley’s poor health weakened his 6’4” frame. After a two-week confinement in Douglas Hospital, he died on Jully 26, 1933.
Tindley Temple United Methodist (then Methodist Episcopal) Church flourished under Dr. Tindley’s gospel vision of liberation as a sign of God’s power to set captives free. This vision has continued to be fulfilled through a long line of pastors who have served the congregation and have strengthened the legacy of Charles Albert Tindley. Their work continues to make Tindley Temple a powerful witness for God in the city to all people, regardless of color, class, or caste.
Tindley Temple looks back on a blessed heritage while working diligently in the present and looking forward to the future with much anticipation and excitement. At Tindley Temple there is courage found in the legacy of the past; there is faith in the present and a vision for the future, based on a firm foundation in God who continues to enable this church to realize tis dreams and reach its goals.
Dr. Charles Albert Tindley gave a lasting example of what faith can do, and it is that faith which Tindley Temple United Methodist Church endeavors to impart to the community, the city, and the world.