John Rodgers and Curtis M. Cofield II have been viewed as prominent historians of Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church. The history has been traced back to October 1825. Immanuel was once called Third Baptist due there being two other Baptist churches in New Haven at that time. The membership of this great church increased so much that a building was constructed in 1847.

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Before finally being rooted on Chapel and Day Streets, there were multiple meeting locations for the church. The locations were Park Street, the corner of Whalley and Howe Street, Carlisle Street, Davenport Avenue and the corner of Broadway and York Street.

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This historical church has been under the leadership of Reverend Black, Reverend J. Gardner Ross, Reverend Henry H. Johnson, Reverend Dr. Adam Clayton Powell, Sr., Reverend Dr. David Klugh, Reverend John B. Pharr, Reverend William Hall, Reverend C. Bruce Goodeau, Reverend Curtis M. Cofield II came to Immanuel in October 1966. In 1972, the present structure of Immanuel was built.

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Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church has given the spiritual framework to The First Baptist Church of Milford established in 1893, The East End Baptist Church of Bridgeport established in 1930, The Community Baptist Church of New Haven established in 1945, The New Hope Baptist Church of New Haven established 1958, The Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church of Hamden established in 1962, The Friendship Baptist Church of Hamden established in 1964 and The Shiloh Baptist Church of New Haven established in 1965.

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Under the direction of Reverend Dr. Rev. Curtis McKinley Cofield, Immanuel became a spiritual fixture in the city of New Haven with the establishment of a soup kitchen, food pantry, and clothes closet. In 1988, Sister Elsie Cofield, along with her husband, founded the AIDS Interfaith Network, Inc. at Immanuel. Due to their passion, dedication and vision, AIDS Interfaith gained renowned recognition throughout the United States. Reverend Dr. Curtis M. Cofield II retired after 36 years of devoted service to Immanuel.

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Since 2002, Immanuel has welcomed Reverend Mr. Samuel T. Ross-Lee as pastor of Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church. Reverend Samuel T. Ross-Lee is a graduate of Morehouse College and Harvard University School of Divinity.

As we walk through this journey of faith together, we are constantly reminded of our Church Mission Statement being that we are an ever evolving community of Visionaries and Dreamers, Whose Disciples have been “ Called by God to live the lives we were created to live, Commanded by God to love beyond the limits of our prejudices and Commissioned by God to serve! “