Bishop Claude Alexander

Senior Pastor for The Park Church

Faith

1B

For over 34 years, Claude Alexander has sought to serve God and community. Having accepted the call to ministry at the age of 17, he endeavored to prepare himself by obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Morehouse College (1985), a Master of Divinity Degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (1988), and a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (2004). Having pastored Morning Star Baptist Church in West Mifflin, PA from 1987-1990, he accepted the call to pastor University Park Baptist Church in May of 1990. Under his leadership, The Park Church has grown from one local congregation of 600 members to a global ministry of thousands with three locations and weekly international reach. Upon his arrival at The Park, his initial focus was to help the congregation move outward with an emphasis on mission and outreach within the local community. He extended the reach of Christ through the church with programs such as global missions, counseling services, and holistic ministry to youth. He was one of the founding pastors of HELP (Helping Empower Local People), which worked with congregations to increase justice and access for all people. By 1997, the congregation had tripled in size and in 1999, Bishop Alexander led the church to their new location on Beatties Ford Road. This facility became the birthing place of expanded ministries, including a recording studio, which produced the acclaimed Kingdom Voices choir recording in 2006: “One Thing I Desire.” In 2013, Bishop Alexander extended his many roles to include that of author. He published his first book, Necessary Christianity, through which he examines the ‘must’ statements of and about Jesus Christ within the Gospels. Written during a three month sabbatical, he strives to challenge notions of personal preference and entitlement in our lives with Christ.

Bishop Alexander is committed to his family above all else. He is married to Dr. Kimberly Nash Alexander and is the proud father of two daughters, Camryn Rene and Carsyn Richelle.