Warren Temple United Methodist Church

LaGrange, Georgia

Warren Temple United Methodist Church in LaGrange, Georgia, played a significant role in the local Civil Rights movement and provided a model for racial reconciliation in 2017 when it served as the site for an historic apology from the city for the 1940 lynching of Austin Callaway.

Warren Temple UMC Photo by Katie Bell, Atomic Brand Energy

Warren Temple UMC Photo by Katie Bell, Atomic Brand Energy

2024 Cohort

Warren Temple United Methodist Church

LaGrange, Georgia

Warren Temple United Methodist Church in LaGrange, Georgia, played a significant role in the local Civil Rights movement and provided a model for racial reconciliation in 2017 when it served as the site for an historic apology from the city for the 1940 lynching of Austin Callaway.

Constructed by local builder and church member John Moore in 1934, Warren Temple United Methodist Church was built for a Black Methodist congregation that had existed since the Civil War but was not able to secure its own building with a Black minister until 1882. The church is named in honor of a white Methodist bishop from Philadelphia, Henry White Warren, who spoke to both the Black and white congregations when he visited in 1882. In fall of 1940, Warren Temple’s pastor, Reverend L.W. Strickland, along with other pastors and leaders of the Black community, met at the church to organize Troup County’s first chapter of the NAACP. This action came shortly after the lynching of Austin Callaway in LaGrange in September 1940. In 2017, as a result of community activism and dialogue, the Mayor, Chief of Police and other city leaders formally apologized for the lynching of Austin Callaway. This event, held at Warren Temple, garnered national attention and is believed to be the first such event in the nation.

Today, Warren Temple hosts Trustbuilding, Inc., a non-profit whose mission is to bridge the racial divide in Troup County in order to remove barriers that prevent full access to opportunities for all. The church also hosts Tzedka America tours, which hopes to transform lives, strengthen Jewish identity, and change the world through immersive social justice-oriented experiences. One of Warren Temple’s programs is a journey through the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, from Selma to Montgomery and then to LaGrange. Participants visit historic sites to better understand the resilience of activists who challenged systemic oppression. Warren Temple also operates a food box ministry, offers health fairs, distributes free books to children, and hosts community events and meetings.

A National Fund grant of $100,000 with $100,000 in matching funds raised by the congregation will support interior and exterior repairs including siding, electrical rewiring, plaster repairs, and interior finishes.

Warren Temple UMC Historical Marker Photo by K Bell, Atomic Brand Energy

Spotlighting Women’s History at Historic Houses of Worship

Religious institutions have served both as a platform for the advancement of women’s rights and opportunities, and women have played critical roles in advancing religious traditions. The leadership and community building opportunities within these sacred sites have been critical to increasing female independence outside of the home and allowing women to develop institutions that strengthen their congregations and broader communities. The four historic houses of worship highlighted embody positive examples of how the histories of women and religion are inherently linked.

First Church in Oberlin

Stories and Media Coverage

Read more about how the National Fund for Sacred Places is helping congregations around the country rehabilitate their sacred places.

Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church by Luis P. Gutierrez