Reid Temple A.M.E. Church

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Reid Temple A.M.E. Church is a large African Methodist Episcopal church in Glenn Dale, Maryland, just outside Washington, DC. It is a megachurch with more than 9,000 members; in 2008 about 7,500 people attended its services.

The AME Church was founded in 1816 in Philadelphia by Rev. Richard Allen and Absalom Jones and now has more than 2 million members worldwide.

Reid Temple began as Dent Chapel in Bladensburg, bought in 1900 and named after its first pastor, Rev. Abraham Dent. After flood damage in the late 1950s, a new Reid Temple opened on Michigan Avenue NE in Washington, DC, in 1964 with about 300 members. It moved to Good Luck Road in Lanham, Maryland, in January 1989.

The current senior pastor is Rev. Dr. Mark E. Whitlock, Jr., who was appointed in July 2019. The church describes itself as Bible-based, Christ-centered, family-integrated, multigenerational, and culturally aware, with a mission to grow its ministry for spiritual, social, and physical development and to build the Beloved Community.

The Glenn Dale worship center seats 3,000 and features a lively service with a 300-member choir and a band. Reid Temple also runs Reid Temple Christian Academy (up to 8th grade) and awards over $150,000 in scholarships each year. The affiliated Reid Community Development Corporation supports programs for disadvantaged residents. In 2018, Reid Temple Bible College opened, and Reid Temple Senior Services serves seniors as a Christian nonprofit.