Wayne E. Croft, Sr.

The Rev. Dr. Wayne E. Croft, Sr., serves as Pastor of St. Paul’s Baptist Church in West Chester, PA. Prior to this assignment, he served The Church of the Redeemer Baptist in Philadelphia for a total of 20 years. Dr. Croft is the founder of the Redeemer Renaissance Community Development Corporation, a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Past President of the NAACP West Chester Branch, Life Member of the NAACP, and has been inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College.

He is also a prolific writer. The African-American Pulpit Journal published his sermons; The Promise Guaranteed, A Candidate for the Hall of Faith and his article entitled What Does it Mean to Preach Biblically Today. He is the author of the book Unexpected Calls to Unexpected Places, Pretty Poison: Seven Deadly Sins and The Motif of Hope in African American Preaching During Slavery and Post-Civil War: There’s A Bright Side Somewhere, and The History of the Black Baptist Church: I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired. Dr. Croft is also a contributor to the books From One Brother to Another: Voices of African-American Men, Volume 2 and Athens & Oxford Sermons, Volume 10. He has published articles in the Past Master section of Preaching Magazine; “John Jasper: Preaching with Authority,” “E. K. Bailey: Expositor of the Word,” “Gardner C. Taylor: Poet Laureate and Dean of Preachers,” “Charles E. Booth: The Preacher’s Preacher,” and a book that chronicles his journey to serve as Pastor of the St. Paul’s Baptist Church.

In June 2018 Dr. Croft served as the morning lecturer at The Hampton University Ministers’ Conference, the largest gathering of interdenominational African-American clergy in the world. Dr. Croft has also served as Dean of the Pennsylvania Eastern Keystone Baptist Association and as the Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Liturgics at Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University in Philadelphia. He now serves as The Jeremiah A. Wright, Sr. Associate Professor of Homiletics and Liturgics in African American Studies at United Lutheran Seminary at Philadelphia.

Dr. Croft has distinguished himself as a pastor, writer and scholar, having earned an Associate degree from Pinebrook Jr. College, where he was a Junior College All-American basketball player, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Trinity College earning a Bachelor of Arts. He received the Master of Divinity degree from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Master of Theology degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and graduated with distinction from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey earning a Doctor of Ministry degree.

He also earned a Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy degree from Drew. He is the first person to earn both a Doctor of Ministry and Doctor of Philosophy from Drew University and received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Villanova University in May 2018. Dr. Croft is married to Dr. Lisa L. Croft, a family physician and they have three children, Darlene, a graduate of UNC-Charlotte, North Carolina Central University Law School, and an attorney in Charlotte, NC, Wayne Jr., a graduate of Morehouse College and member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc, Candace Nicole a recent graduate of Spelman College and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc., and a granddaughter, Patterson.