Photo courtesy of the speaker
The Reverend Dr. Brandon Thomas Crowley is an African American pastor, preacher, author, and scholar in religion, theology, and queer theory. Since 2009, he has served as the Senior Pastor of the Historic Myrtle Baptist Church in Newton, Massachusetts, one of America's oldest Black congregations founded by formerly enslaved Africans at the end of Reconstruction and one of the few open and affirming historically Black churches in the United States of America. In addition to his pastoral role, Dr. Crowley is a Lecturer in Ministry Studies at Harvard University's Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the 2024-2026 Honorary Distinguished Fellow in the Department of Classics, Ancient History, Religion, and Theology at the University of Exeter in England. Dr. Crowley has taught courses on Theology, Race, Ethical Leadership, Queer Theory, and African American Religions at Boston University, Emory University, the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, and the Meadville Lombard Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. Reverend Crowley earned a Ph.D. in Church and Society and a Master of Sacred Theology with a certificate in social justice from Boston University's School of Theology. He also earned a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion with a moral cosmopolitan pastoral leadership certificate from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Reverend Crowley’s first manuscript is Queering Black Churches: Dismantling Heteronormativity in African American Congregations with Oxford University Press. Dr. Crowley’s research and ministry have been featured in the Associated Press, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, NBC, CBS, and The Griot. His work demonstrates a commitment to challenging societal norms within African American faith communities and forging innovative pathways for the future.
Beyond his pastoral and academic roles, Dr. Crowley also serves on various boards and is a leader in several communal organizations. He is an inaugural member of the Council of Religious Practitioners and Scholars for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., a member of The Greater Boston Salvation Army Advisory Board, a member of the Harvard Alumni Council and membership selection committee, a member of the Newton-Wellesley Hospital Community Benefits and Needs Assessment committees, and the new Owner and Curator of the Board of the African American Lectionary Inc. Ordained in the Progressive National Baptist Convention of America, Inc., and licensed in the National Baptist Convention of America, Dr. Crowley brings a wealth of wisdom and dedication to his work.