Brandon Thomas Crowley

The Reverend Brandon Thomas Crowley (pronounced kroh-lee) is the proud Senior Pastor of The Historic Myrtle Baptist Church of West Newton, Massachusetts. As a prodigious church added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, Myrtle Baptist Church was founded by freed slaves in 1874 and exists as one of the oldest black churches in New England. During Reverend Crowley’s short four years as the Pastor of Myrtle, the church has paid off its mortgage, hired part-time employees, started eighteen new ministries, developed partnerships with the Brookview House of Dorchester and the Boston City Mission, and increased its membership by 200 persons making it Newton’s and one of Boston’s fastest growing congregations.

An alumnus of Morehouse College and Harvard University’s Divinity School (HDS), Reverend Crowley earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Morehouse College, graduating magnum cum laude and garnering the honor of being his graduating classes’ top ranking scholar in religion. Morehouse College named him the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Scholar in 2008. He earned a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Sociology and Religion from HDS where he was a Presidential Scholar, the National Baptist J.H. Jackson Scholar and the Hopkins Scholar for Religious Diversity and Parish Ministry.

Reverend Crowley’s desire to bridge the gap between the academy and the church and the practical aspects of Christian ministry gave him a greater vision that manifested itself in 2003 as Brandon T. Crowley Ministries, a non- profit organization focused on social justice thru collaborative ministry. Known for his soul-inspiring sermons, melodious singing, and empowering teaching, he has served as a revivalist, musical clinician, lecturer, workshop facilitator, consultant for youth and young adult ministries, and motivational speaker for churches, universities, colleges, and non-profit organizations across the nation.

The recipient of numerous awards, Reverend Crowley was ordained in the Progressive National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. and has written for the African American Lectionary. He is presently continuing his academic studies on full scholarship at Boston University pursuing a Ph.D. in Practical Theology with a concentration in Church and Society.