Congdon Street Baptist Church is very pleased to welcome our new pastor, the Reverend James Edward Dove.  Reverend Dove’s first Sunday in the pulpit was our December 5th Communion Sunday worship service.  An informal luncheon was hosted by the church after the service to provide an opportunity to welcome and meet Reverend Dove and his wife, our new First Lady, Rita Smith Dove.  

Reverend Dove, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, received his B.A. degree from Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania.  He attended Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia, where he was awarded the Master of Divinity degree.  Rev. Dove served as pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Boston for nine years.  For the past two years, he served as one of two “Pastors in Residence” at Concord Baptist Church of Boston.

Rev. Dove’s other ministerial positions have been varied. He served as Minister of Evangelism at Zion Baptist Church in Everett, MA, as an Associate and Youth Minister at Peoples Baptist Church of Boston, MA, and while a student at Gordon-Conwell, served on the ministerial staff at Eliot Congregational Church in Roxbury, MA. His denominational work includes service as Vice-President of the American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts and as Vice-Moderator of the Boston Southwest Association. Further, he has just completed four years as the chairperson of the Boston Southwest Association’s Committee on Ministry that assists candidates in the ordination process.

In addition, Rev. Dove was the Multicultural Advisor for ALANA students, (African/Latino/Asian/Native American) at Gordon College in Wenham, MA from 1996-2002.

Rev. Dove’s writings have been published in the African American Devotional Bible and From One Brother to Another: Voices of African American Men.  He was also a recipient of the National Black Pastor’s Fellowship awarded by the Congress of National Black Churches and was selected to participate in the Nehemiah Leadership Network, a specialized, three–year training program, (sponsored by the American Baptist Churches), for pastors who have a high potential for leading renewal and transformation in congregations.

Currently residing in Saugus, MA, Rev. Dove is married to Rita Smith Dove and they are proud parents, grandparents and godparents.

To God be the Glory!