Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, founded in 1886, grew from a small congregation into a major church closely tied to the history of the civil rights movement. Led early by Adam Daniel Williams, it expanded rapidly, and through the King family it gained international prominence. Martin Luther King Sr. served as pastor, and Martin Luther King Jr. served as co-pastor until his assassination. In 1957, the church hosted the meeting that led to the creation of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. It has also been a place of national mourning, remembrance, and public life, with later leadership by Raphael Warnock as its large congregation continued to grow.