Mount Zion First Baptist Church, later to become known throughout San Antonio as First Baptist Church, was founded in 1871 by 22 newly freed slaves and a white minister named Rev. J.P. Hines. The Church has been a pacesetter for 133 years. Its members have made major contributions to society. Its ministries have enhanced the lives of its members and the larger community. And its leader has a new vision for a new millennium: “transforming the world through discipleship.” The first pastor was Rev. Nat Shelton. The church was a small, one-room building located on Santos Street in the heart of what was called “the Baptist Settlement.”