This post describes how you can hear gospel music in New York. It includes a list of churches with gospel choirs in Harlem and Brooklyn and information about gospel tours.
As a New Yorker, I've attended several church services that included gospel performances and the experience has always been incredibly uplifting. I can't recommend it enough!
But I must tell you that if you are looking for an authentic experience, you are going to have to prepare yourself!
In the video below, our local tour guide Derrick 'warns' you of a few things you need to know about attending a gospel service.
Further down in this post, I provide tips about etiquette, which is very important to be aware of.
In addition to my experiences, I wrote this post with input from my colleague, Lady Altovise, a local Harlem tour guide for New York Tours by Foot.
She leads a fantastic Harlem Renaissance and Gospel Music Experience tour.
If, after reading this post, it seems too daunting to go on your own, you might consider an organized Harlem gospel tour or gospel music experience.
- Tips and Etiquette
- Top 3 Picks
- Churches with Gospel Choirs
- Paid Tours
- Additional Gospel Performances
- Things to Do in NYC
GOSPEL SERVICE ETIQUETTE
Here are my tips on experiencing gospel music without taking an organized tour.
Take it from me, these are tips you really do want to follow!
Find out service schedules ahead of time.
Churches have services on different days and times, though mostly they are held on Sunday mornings.
Also, not all services include a gospel choir. Look at a church’s website or call ahead to see if they have a gospel mass.
Follow proper etiquette.
When you go to hear gospel music in a church, you'll be stepping into houses of worship.
Using cell phones, cameras, and video recorders is not allowed (unless you have been given special permission to take photos).
Another no-no is wearing overly casual or revealing clothing. For example, showing up in jeans and flip-flops is not cool! Don't do it. You will offend those there to worship.
Many church websites have visitor pages and may have important guidelines to follow.
Be sure to look at websites in advance or call, if you are unsure what proper etiquette is.
Gospel concerts are part of religious services, not simply a musical show.
A gospel performance at a church is part of their religious service.
The forces driving the sermons and the congregations listening to them are the same forces that drive the human spirit.
TIP: If you want to hear gospel music outside of a religious service you can take a tour or attend a gospel concert.
Give yourself enough time.
Plan to stay for the whole service, which may be 2 hours or more as services with a choir singing will also include a sermon.
It can also be considered rude to leave in the middle of a service.
Besides, sermons, in my experience, can be quite moving.
So give yourself enough time to enjoy the entire service.
Consider making at least a small donation to the church.
Congregations are happy to have visitors and share their celebrations, but no church nor choir can get by without the support of its members and guests.
Religious organizations are non-profits that provide many valuable services to their communities.
Take it from me, a small contribution to their donation basket will be greatly appreciated!
Avoid the tourist crowds.
Consider visiting a smaller congregation to avoid long lines. The experience will be just as special and less crowded.
Or consider taking a guided tour or our informal gospel experience.
OUR TOP 3 PICKS
Lady Altovise's Harlem Renaissance and Gospel Experience.
Every Wednesday, Lady Altovise, a tour guide with Free Tours by Foot, presents her gospel performance.
There's no dress code and this is not a church service. Read about the experience below.
Times Square Church
The Times Square Church is located in a renovated Broadway Theater in the heart of Midtown Manhattan and is an interdenominational church with members from over 100 nationalities.
Their Adult Praise Choir (in the video above) performs 4 times per week.
They minister weekly during the Sunday 10 am and 3 pm services and Tuesday 7 pm prayer service.
Check their schedule to confirm the times and get further details.
Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
You don't have to go to Harlem to hear excellent gospel music! The Brooklyn Tabernacle’s choir is more than 40 years old but better than ever.
The performance may not be what you have thought gospel would be like, but the choir is world-famous.
They are so good, that in 2013 they were invited to sing at the Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C. which was televised.
The Tabernacle is located in easily reachable Downtown Brooklyn at 17 Smith Street between Livingston and Fulton Streets - (718) 290-2000.
Sunday services are at 9 am, 11 am, and 1 pm. Check to see first which services will have gospel shows before you head out to the Tabernacle.
TIP: After or before the service, explore the beautiful Brooklyn Heights neighborhood.
CHURCHES WITH GOSPEL CHOIRS
If you prefer to visit a service to hear the gospel choir, try to steer clear of the larger congregations, some of which are so popular with tourists, that visitors are sometimes turned away for lack of space in the pews.
Early morning services tend to be slightly less crowded.
Still, they are popular for a reason—the sermons, choir, and services are magnificent.
Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem
Here are a few churches where you can hear gospel music.
Abyssinian Baptist Church
- 420 W 145th Street in Harlem between Convent and St. Nicholas Avenues. (212) 234-6767. Sunday worship service is at 10:00 am.
- The congregation welcomes those who would like to worship with them. They discourage visitors who are only looking for a gospel performance.
Mount Zion AME Church
This is my favorite place to attend a service with a gospel choir. It’s a little smaller than the others and the service is a little shorter.
- 1765 Madison Avenue at East 116th Street. (212) 369-6643
- Sunday services at 10 am. Usually done by 11:15.
Greater Refuge Temple
- 2081 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. at 124th Street in Harlem. (212) 866-1700.
- Sunday services are at 11:00 am and 4:00 pm.
Mount Neboh Baptist Church
- 1883 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. between West 114th West 115 Streets in Harlem. (212) 866-7880.
- Sunday service is at 9:30 am (during the summer).
Canaan Baptist Church
- 132 W. 116th Street between Lenox & 7th Avenues in Harlem. (212) 866-0301.
- Sunday services are at 8 am and 11 am. Sunday service at 10:00 am (during the summer).
First Corinthian Baptist Church
- 1912 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. between West 115th and West 116th Streets. (212) 864-5976.
- Sunday services are at 8:00 am and 10:45 am.
Bethel Gospel Assembly
- 2-26 East 120th Street, between 5th and Madison Avenues. (212) 860-1510.
- Sunday Services at 10:15 am.
- *Please be advised to double-check times yourself.
TIP: After you attend a gospel concert, you may feel hungry after hearing such a rousing performance! I know I always do!
Join the locals at a local restaurant for soul food and enjoy such dishes as fried chicken, beef ribs, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, cornbread, and pecan pie for dessert!
Find out more about soul food and where to find some of the best in Harlem here.
GOSPEL TOURS
There are plenty of organized tours that will take you on a Sunday gospel tour.
Below are some of the best. Before purchasing a tour, note that gospel tours are often included in tourist concession passes.
For example, both the New York Pass and Explorer Pass include two free gospel experiences (a Sunday morning gospel walk and a Wednesday evening walk).
To learn more about these money-saving passes, read our post on New York Passes to see if a pass may be right for you.
Harlem Spirituals
This highly regarded tour operator offers several gospel-themed bus tours, including jazz and brunch tours.
All gospel-themed tours operate on Wednesdays and Sundays. They offer a Sunday Gospel and Soul Food bus tour.
The below video is of the Gospel and Soul Food Tour.
Wednesday Gospel Bus + Walking Tour
This tour lasts 4 hours, includes a 1-hour gospel church service, and ends at a famous soul food restaurant (food not included).
They do offer a tour that includes lunch and lasts for an additional hour.
- It starts at 9 am at 690 Eighth Avenue bet. 43rd and 44th Sts. Return to the Times Square area.
- Available in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Portuguese.
- $65/Adult and $49/Child (age 3-11).
- You can get $5 off if you have the New York Pass.
Inside Out Tours
Harlem isn't the only place in NYC to experience gospel music.
Every Sunday Inside Out Tours offers a combination walking and subway tour. It's free with the New York Pass.
Sunday Morning Brooklyn Gospel Walking Tour
- Departs at 9 am from 79 Broadway at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway in front of Trinity Church
- 2-hour walking tour and 2-hour gospel church service
- $45/person
- You will need a MetroCard for two rides.
Harlem One Stop
This arts and cultural initiative also offers gospel-themed walking tours of Harlem. They offer a 10:30 am walking tour on Sundays.
The cost is $25 per person. Note that this tour is free for holders of a New York Pass.
To learn more about these money-saving passes, read our post on New York Tourist Passes to see if purchasing a pass may be right for you.
OPTIONS WITH FREE TOURS BY FOOT
We offer exceptional gospel tour experiences led by Lady Altovise.
Unlike the church services listed below, there is no dress code for this tour and performance, and there is no waiting in line.
Cost: THIS TOUR IS CURRENTLY NOT RUNNING.
Note: This tour operates on Wednesdays at noon and pairs with our 2-hour walking tour of Harlem.
To learn more about Harlem and visit many of the neighborhood's attractions, join us for our free Harlem Walking Tour. Be sure to reserve a spot now!
We can show you where some of the churches we list in this post are located on our free New York tours.
OTHER GOSPEL PERFORMANCES IN NYC
The excellent Harlem Gospel Choir performs twice a month at the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club in Greenwich Village.
From time to time, gospel performances take place at venues around NYC like the Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall.
Visit each venue's website to see the music listings for any current performances. Note that such performances are rare though and you must purchase a ticket.
You are better off going to a church service at one of the places I listed above since there is always a weekly service.
TIP: If you are in NYC when the New York Marathon is taking place (the first Sunday of November), check out the church across the street from where I live, the Emmanuel Baptist Church.
Every year, the choir stands on the stairs to the church and sings gospel and other inspirational songs to the thousands of runners passing by.
This is my favorite day of the year as a New Yorker - there is nothing so gratifying as watching the runners go by (many from other countries) when their faces light up as they see just how much NYC is rooting for them.
Here's a video clip I took back in 2014.
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