Leading Pastor
Rev. Gary V. Simpson
The Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson is the Leading Pastor of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ. The son of the late Reverend Rufus N. Simpson and Mrs. Mary H. Simpson Price, he responded to God’s call on his life while still a teenager. He preached his first sermon at the age of 15 at the Southfield Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio, and was ordained at the age of 20 by the Eastern Union Missionary Baptist Church Association. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Denison University with a BA in Religion and Black Studies; earned the Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in NYC; and, the Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary.
Concord Ministry
Pastor Simpson was called as the Senior Pastor of Concord Church in 1990 and has served as the congregation’s Chief Disciple, pouring out his heart in pastoral life. He is an accomplished musician and teacher with a heart for pastoring God’s people.
Pastoral Residency Program
He has a great passion for the nurturing of the next generation of pastors for the Church of Jesus Christ. In 2002, he was sought by the Lilly Endowment to create a formal Pastoral Residency Program at Concord Church. In doing so, he and the congregation have aided a generation of seminary graduates to transition congregational ministry. Under Pastor Simpson’s leadership, Concord was one of a handful of churches across the country serving as a teaching congregation for pastors. In 2011, he won support from the Lilly Endowment to expand Concord’s program to include a collaboration with three additional African American Baptist congregations – Emmanuel Baptist Church, St. Paul Community Baptist Church, and Mt. Aery Baptist Church. These congregations joined in a collaborative effort with Concord to shape and support even more pastors for the Church.
Professorship, Teaching and Lecturing
Pastor Simpson has achieved tenure as Associate Professor of Homiletics at Drew Theological Seminary. He has served as Visiting Professor of Preaching, Worship and the Arts at Union Theological Seminary. He has taught and lectured at New Brunswick Theological Seminary, Harvard Divinity School, Yale Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary and Candler School of Theology. Yet, by far, his favorite assignment is serving as Teacher in his weekly Sunday morning Men’s Bible Class, and in Concord’s Wednesday night Community Bible Study. There, he treasures every opportunity to create the space for all to engage the “Community Book” – the Bible in life-giving study. He is one of eight featured preachers on the Future of Great Preaching website, a web resource for the Andover Newton Theological School; and his video is being used in theological schools to teach the art of preaching.
Boards and Councils
The former chair of the Board of Trustees for the Fund for Theological Education, Pastor Simpson currently serves on:
- The Boards of Directors of Denison University
- The National Grid Foundation
- The Association of Theological Schools
- The American Baptist Home Missionary Society.
He is the Chair of the Ordination Council of the American Baptist Churches – Metro New York.