Martin Luther King, Jr.’s first professional job was to serve as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. It’s an unassuming building, built in 1885, that you would pass by without a second thought if it did not have a prominent sign highlighting its place history.
Dexter Avenue — now Dexter Avenue King Memorial — welcomed King as its pastor in 1954, just as he finished his doctorate. I’m not sure what the expectations were for a newly-minted pastor but I’m sure King exceeded them.
In addition to leading the congregation in spiritual pursuits, King was an active participant in the civil rights movement. From his basement office, he organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott — a seminal event in the quest to end racial discrimination in the South.
King did not need a big building, fancy office, or much notoriety to demonstrate his leadership. In his own unassuming way, he was able to mobilize a city, and ultimately a nation to take notice of the injustices.
Take a lesson from Dr. King and begin where you are. You can make a difference from wherever that is.
