Next Step Community Church

Next Step Community Church is a historic non-denominational evangelical Christian church at 360 Schermerhorn Street and Third Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. It was built in 1893–1894 in the Romanesque Revival style and rebuilt after a fire in 1917–1918. It has a brownstone base and superstructure faced with subtly textured brick with brownstone trim. The building features a large rose window and three corner towers.^[2] Edward Morris Bowman was the church's first organist and choirmaster. He led a large chorus and orchestra at the church from 1894-1906 that gained a national reputation.^[3]

It is a work of architects Weary & Kramer, and it is a work of Dodge & Morrison.^[1]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 under the name Baptist Temple.^[1] The historic pipe organ was undergoing a multi-year restoration at the time.^[4] It was seriously damaged in a three-alarm fire that broke out on July 7, 2010.^[5]

In 2022, it became nondenominational and was renamed Next Step Community Church. ^[6]

References

1. ^
2. ^ Peter D. Shaver (September 1995). National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP Baptist Temple (none). National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved November 1, 2025. ()
3. ^ Benjamin, William Howard (1908). "Edward Morris Bowman". Biographies of Celebrated Organists of America. Benjamin Publishing Company.
4. ^ Pipe organ restoration by Daphne Sashin, New York Times Archived July 8, 2011 at the Wayback Machine
5. ^ NYC American Guild of Organists website Archived July 27, 2011 at the Wayback Machine
6. ^ Megan McGibney, Downtown Brooklyn Church Relaunches Parents’ Ministry, as Cost of Living Escalates, bkreader.com, USA, Sep 6, 2023