The idea of the Gabriel Network originated in Texas in the early 1990s when a single church community, wanting to put its social justice and pro-life convictions into action, erected a sign offering support to pregnant women. They were soon inundated with phone calls. A neighboring community "adopted" the idea and recruited a team of local Christian churches in their area, and thus the idea of a “network” was born. It was called the “Gabriel Project.”

During the same period Maryland pro-lifers were engaging in an effort to defeat what at the time would have been the nation’s most liberal state abortion bill. They formed the “Vote kNOw” Coalition to overturn the law by a statewide referendom. Although the pro-abortion law prevailed, the effort activated many pro-life volunteers who organized to address the issues central to the abortion problem at a local level.

In 1993 the “Pro-Life Maryland Education Foundation” (PLMEF) was founded as a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to building support for women facing crisis pregnancies at the “grassroots” level. The Texan idea of church-based pregnancy support was deemed a good model for the new organization. In 1996, following the recruiting and training of volunteers at several Christian churches, the first Maryland Gabriel Project church sign was erected, advertising a “1-800” referral line and pledging the support of a church community to women in need of help. This work became such a focus of PLMEF that in 1999, its name was officially changed to “Gabriel Project, Inc.”. Over a decade after its inception, the organization has expanded its service area throughout central Maryland and Washington DC and grown capacity to provide shelter, education, professional development, and transportation.

In November of 2006, the Board of Directors officially adopted the trade name “The Gabriel Network” to reflect the organization’s growth and unique position in the pro-life movement.