February 17: Rev. Dr. J. Lawrence Turner

Reverend Dr. J. Lawrence Turner, by the divine providence of God, accepted the call to serve as the Senior Pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Memphis, TN on January 13, 2013. For seven years prior to coming to Mississippi Boulevard, his pastoral assignment was the Community Baptist Church in New Haven, Connecticut.
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A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Pastor Turner is a 2003 magna cum laude graduate of Fisk University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and Philosophy. He was a 2001 United Negro College Fund/Andrew Mellon Undergraduate Fellow and a 2002 Fellow of the Fund for Theological Education. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School and was awarded the prestigious H.H. Tweedy Prize for exceptional promise for pastoral leadership. Pastor Turner received his Doctor of Ministry degree in Transformative Leadership at the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, NY.

Understanding the need for excellence in leadership in today’s society, Pastor Turner has demonstrated his gifts and talents in various positions including President of the Yale Divinity School Student Council; Vice President of the Connecticut State Missionary Baptist Convention; Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority for New Haven, Secretary for the Board of Directors of the National Action Network and the Founder and President of the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pastor Turner has played an integral role in providing access to both testing and vaccinations to those in the Memphis community.