Cornerstone Baptist Church (Brooklyn) — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Rev. Lawrence E. Aker III (Senior Pastor)

Founded Historic congregation in Bedford-Stuyvesant; precise founding year not surfaced in this pass

Denomination National Baptist Convention USA

Service Times Sunday worship — verify on church site

Men's Ministry Yes

Kids Ministry Yes

Website cbcbrooklyn.org/

Pastor Credentials National Baptist Convention USA

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Trinitarian Baptist orthodox.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

NBC-USA generally evangelical-Baptist on Scripture but lacks tight inerrancy confession; local posture varies.

Caution

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Cornerstone's usher culture (Jeffries became "white-gloved, dues-paying usher") indicates institutional formation of young men in service roles.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Evangelical Baptist baseline.

Caution

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

NBC-USA varies congregation by congregation; Aker is male senior pastor but NBC-USA broadly permits women pastors.

Male senior pastor (Rev. Lawrence E. Aker III); NBC-USA denominational posture on women clergy varies congregation by congregation.

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Male senior pastor; deacons + ministry-leader structure typical of NBC-USA.

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Black-Baptist homiletic tradition — narrative-driven, not strict expository.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Bed-Stuy community engagement; Jeffries himself served as a Cornerstone usher in his youth, suggesting strong intergenerational discipleship.

Caution

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

NBC-USA churches commonly engage social-justice themes; specific posture at Cornerstone not surveyed.

Caution

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

NBC-USA — largest Black Baptist body; generally conservative on Christology and Scripture but progressive on race/justice; sexuality posture varies.

Caution

Assessment

Cornerstone Baptist Church at 574 Madison Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, is the lifelong home church of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-8). Jeffries grew up in Crown Heights and was formed at Cornerstone — in his youth becoming one of the church's white-gloved, dues-paying ushers, tending to crying babies and handling neighborhood traffic during worship. Cornerstone is institutionally part of the National Baptist Convention USA, the largest historically Black Baptist denomination. Rev. Lawrence E. Aker III is current senior pastor. NBC-USA is generally evangelical-Baptist on core doctrine but specific posture on sexuality, women in pastoral ministry, and biblical inerrancy varies by congregation. Per MOOP rubric this is YELLOW — would need on-site verification of confessional posture and pulpit theology before a recommendation; included with notable-attendees context for the most prominent Democratic House leader.

#baptist#national-baptist-convention#historic-black-baptist#hakeem-jeffries-home-church#bedford-stuyvesant#brooklyn#new-york

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Live-fetched https://cbcbrooklyn.org/our-pastor/ + Brooklyn Eagle + Religion News Service + Word&Way + The Hill on 2026-05-16 — confirmed Rev. Lawrence E. Aker III as senior pastor + 574 Madison St Brooklyn NY 11221 + NBC-USA affiliation + Hakeem Jeffries lifelong member and former usher.

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source cbcbrooklyn.org/our-pastor/
[2] Live source brooklyneagle.com/articles/2024/02/28/how-hakeem-jeffries…
[3] Live source religionnews.com/2024/02/28/how-hakeem-jeffries-black-bap…
[4] Live source wordandway.org/2024/02/28/how-hakeem-jeffries-black-bapti…

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.