COURTESY PHOTO

Bishop Claude Alexander celebrates 30 years at The Park Church with a drive-through celebration on Sept. 26.

Bishop Claude Alexander is celebrating 30 years with The Park Church.

His milestone will be celebrated this weekend with a drive-through on Sept. 26 from 4-5 p.m. at The Park Church Independence, 800 Briar Creek Road. The celebration will continue on Sept. 27 at 9:45 a.m., which will be accessible online at www.theparkministries.org, www.facebook.com/theparkchurchcharlotte, www.youtube.com/TheParkChurch1 and the church’s mobile app.

Alexander, who is also The Charlotte Post Foundation’s 2020 Luminary, left his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi to pursue a degree in philosophy at Morehouse College in Atlanta. He earned his undergraduate degree in 1985, followed by a master’s in divinity from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 1988. He pastored Morning Star Baptist Church in West Mefflin, Pennsylvania from January of 1987 until August of 1990 when he came to lead what was then known as University Park Baptist Church.

Church leaders had been looking for a pastor with at least five years of experience, married and at least 35 years old. Instead, they took a chance on a single 26-year-old with three years of pastoral experience. The stress triggered vertigo. Alexander placed unrealistic expectations on himself, which landed him in the hospital three times in his first 18 months on the job. Yet as he grew stronger, so did the church, expanding from 600 members in 1990 to over 9,000 today with a global ministry.

The church operates out of three locations: The Park Church Beatties Ford Road, The Park Church South and the Park Church Independence. The Park Church purchased the former Charlotte Merchandise Mart in 2006, transforming it into The Park Expo and Conference Center, where it serves as The Park International Trade Hub, which facilitates trade, commerce and development between the African diaspora and the African continent. Alexander has also overseen the establishment of the church’s Community Development Corporation, The Park CDC, a non-profit advocating for upward mobility through a living wage, workforce development and healthy living.

“It has been my honor to serve at The Park,” Alexander said in a statement. “Through these 30 years, I have seen God move in the lives of the community as well as the lives of people across the world. Since The Park’s beginning more than 100 years ago, we have sought to fulfill the Great Commission God calls all Christians to by saving souls for Christ through the preached and taught word of God. We have continued to expand and extend our reach and resources to help address the needs of our brothers and sisters locally, nationally as well as internationally.” 

Alexander, who earned a doctorate in ministry from Gordon-Cornwell Theological Seminary in 2004, chairs its board of trustees. He also served as president of the Hampton University Ministers Conference, the United States’ oldest and largest interdenominational gathering of African American clergy.

Alexander is also the second presiding bishop of the Kingdom Association of Covenant Pastors and serves on the boards of Christianity Today, Charlotte Center City Partners, Mission America Coalition, Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and Movement.Org.

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