Reverend Dr. Michael E. Haynes, Pastor Emeritus of the historic Twelfth Baptist Church of Roxbury. Born in Roxbury on May 9, 1927, to the late Edna G. (Payne) and Gustavus Haynes, he grew up deeply rooted in faith, family, and community.

A proud graduate of Boston English High School (Class of 1944), Rev. Haynes earned his Bachelor of Arts in Theology from the New England School of Theology in 1949 and later completed graduate studies in Mission and Clinical Services at Shelton College in New York. He pursued further study at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and was later awarded multiple honorary doctorates, including the Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Divinity, and Doctor of Humanities.

Rev. Haynes’ ministry began early at Twelfth Baptist Church, where he served as Youth Minister in 1951 before rising to Associate Minister. On October 24, 1964, he was installed as the Senior Pastor, a role he faithfully held for 40 years until his retirement in 2004. Under his leadership, Twelfth Baptist grew spiritually and institutionally: the church revised its constitution and by-laws, established a food bank, pre-school, and housing initiatives, and acquired properties such as the Martin Luther King Jr. House and the Second African Meeting House. He also founded the SAMH Corporation and oversaw the creation of SAMH Apartments, advancing the church’s mission in both ministry and community development.

A trailblazer, Rev. Haynes recorded a legacy of “firsts.” He was the first Black person invited to serve on the Berkshire Christian College Board, the first to address the Evangelistic Association and the New England Annual Conference, and the only Black American elected as a full delegate to the Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization. He was also a featured keynote speaker before Congress in 1986 and was honored as the American Baptist Urban Pastor of the Year in 1987.

His influence extended well beyond the pulpit. From 1965 to 1968, Rev. Haynes represented Roxbury in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he advocated for justice and equity. He later served on the Massachusetts State Parole Board by appointment of Governor Francis Sargent, and was a member of the Boston Mayor’s Committee on Violence and the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee on Drug Addiction. Deeply engaged in the Civil Rights Movement, he worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in planning the historic 1965 march from Roxbury to Boston Common, which called for school desegregation.

Rev. Haynes was also a visionary thinker. In 2006, he proposed that Northeastern University create a project to preserve the history of Boston’s Black community, which led to the founding of the Lower Roxbury Black History Project. His lifelong commitment to education and young people was so profound that Roxbury’s Haynes Early Education Center was named in his honor.

As a pastor, Rev. Haynes was deeply committed to biblical relevancy and Christian formation. He led pilgrimages to the Holy Land, taking more than 200 congregants across four journeys between 1980 and 1986, ensuring that faith was experienced not only through Scripture but through sacred encounter. He co-chaired the Pastoral Committee for the Billy Graham Crusade at Boston University and was part of the “Think Tank,” a national interracial gathering of ministers convened at the MLK House.

Throughout his ministry, his greatest passion was for the youth of Boston. He worked tirelessly to secure scholarships, athletic grants, and opportunities for young people, inspiring generations to pursue education and service. Kenneth G. Ryder once said of him:

“You fight to redress the wrongs of yesterday, strive to achieve betterment of today, but your deeper involvement is in the young people who comprise the society of tomorrow. Your life of action inspires them. You educate them by work and by example, and by obtaining for them college scholarships and athletic grants, you afford them educational opportunity.”

Rev. Haynes was also a devoted family man. He was the beloved brother of Roy O. Haynes of Hollis, NY, Roscoe Baker of Boston, and the late Vincent and Douglas Haynes. He was a dear father to Rev. Randy Haynes (Lisa) of Ashburn, VA; Abdi Ali (Rochelle) of Roxbury; Rev. Bruce Wall (Karin) of Hyde Park; Ronald Whitehead (Iris) of Hyde Park; and Erroll Lawrence (Alene) of Pembroke Pines, FL. He was the loving grandfather of Michael II (Anna), Gabrielle, Amalia, Amir, Aaron, Jeremy, Oare, Erroll, Kohlman, Derek, and Deion, and leaves behind several great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, godchildren, and extended family. He shared a lifelong friendship with Clarence “Jeep” Jones and his wife Wanda of Roxbury.

Rev. Dr. Michael E. Haynes’ life was a testament to faith, leadership, and service. His legacy endures in the lives he touched, the institutions he strengthened, and the community he so faithfully served for more than nine decades.

Reverend Dr. Michael E. Haynes entered eternal rest on September 12, 2019, at the age of 92.