Pastoral History

13th Pastor – (2010 - 2020) Rev. Arthur Thomas Gerald, Jr. was born in Boston. He is the only son of his beloved parents, the late Arthur and Sarah Gerald. Arthur was blessed with four sisters, Margaret, Gwendolyn, Lucille, and Jeannette, whom he loves dearly.   In the late fifties, when “Turk” became a teenager, he came under the influence of the social work ministry of Rev. Michael E. Haynes, who was then the youth director of Norfolk House Centre of Roxbury. Graduating from Boston English High, he attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. He later transferred to Berkshire Christian College in Lenox, Massachusetts.

12th Pastor (1964 – 2004) – Rev. Dr. Michael E. Haynes is a native of Roxbury and was educated at Boston English High School.  He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theology in 1949 from the New England School of Theology in Brookline, MA and continued his education at Shelton College in New York City, earning a graduate degree in Mission and Clinical Services in 1950. For the next three years, he studied at the Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, MA and years later received multiple Honorary Doctoral degrees: Doctor of Laws Degree, Doctor of Divinity, and Doctor of Humanities.

11th Pastor (1923 -1964) – Rev. Dr. Williams Hunter Hester accepted the call to lead the historic Twelfth Baptist Church in July of 1924. As the 11th pastor, he was a gentleman, scholar, advisor and friend who won the admiration of a wide circle of followers. A native of Oxford, North Carolina, Reverend Dr. Hester was born on August 19, 1888 to Lee and Emma Hester. He graduated from the Mary Potter School and the North Carolina College for Negroes. When he and his wife, Beulah H. Shepherd, relocated to Boston, Reverend Dr. Hester pursued graduate studies at Boston University School of Theology and the Andover Newton Theological School.

10th Pastor (1894 – 1922) – Rev. Matthew A. Shaw,  On November 12, 1899, Reverend Matthew A. Shaw accepted the call to lead Twelfth Baptist Church. As the 10th pastor, he faced a significant decline in church membership. Eighty-­‐five percent of Black residents on Beacon Hill were moving from the West End community into the South End. As a result, one of Reverend Shaw’s first responsibilities was to deal with the church’s location; Phillips Street on Beacon Hill.

9th Pastor (1894) – Reverend John R. McCenny’s photo appears in the poster chronicling pastoral leadership at Twelfth Baptist Church. Records indicate that he served in 1894; however, there is no other supporting documentation.

It is speculated that another series of visiting ministers officiated over worship service until Reverend A. W. Adams, whose photograph is not chronicled on the pastoral leadership poster, served a 6-month term in 1898.

7th Pastor (1891-1894) – Rev. Dr. J. Allen Kirk was a gifted and courageous Baptist minister who served as Pastor of Twelfth Baptist Church from 1892 to 1894. Remarkably, he led the congregation by the age of 25, demonstrating extraordinary spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral maturity at a young age.

During his two-year tenure, Rev. Kirk provided steady leadership in a period marked by both opportunity and increasing racial hostility in American life. His ministry at Twelfth Baptist Church helped shape him into a respected public theologian and community leader whose voice would later carry national significance. Rev. Dr. Kirk authored a powerful eyewitness account of the Wilmington Coup of 1898.

6th. Pastor  (1890-1891) – Rev. Henry H. Harris – Rev. Henry H. Harris was a gifted and dynamic young minister who served as the sixth pastor of Twelfth Baptist Church from 1890 to 1891. At only 26 years old, Rev. Harris brought passion, intellect, and youthful energy to the pulpit during a transitional period in the church’s long and storied history.

Born around 1864, Henry H. Harris was a native of Virginia and a graduate of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University). After completing his studies there, he was ordained into the Baptist ministry and began preaching at an early age. In pursuit of deeper theological training, Harris enrolled in Newton Theological Seminary in Massachusetts. While still a student, he gained recognition for his preaching gifts and was invited to preach at churches throughout the region.

Rev. Henry H. Harris’s brief but notable service at Twelfth Baptist Church is remembered for its passionate preaching and earnest pastoral care. As a seminary student entrusted with the leadership of one of Boston’s most influential Black congregations, he embodied the hope and aspirations of a new generation of clergy committed to the cause of Christ and the uplift of African-American communities.

His story is a reminder of both the potential and the pressures of spiritual leadership, especially in churches with deep historic roots and a forward-looking mission.

5th Pastor (1886-1890) – Rev. Robert N. Fairfax – served as the fifth pastor of Twelfth Baptist Church during a period of spiritual and institutional rebuilding. Known for his eloquence, pastoral care, and steadfast faith, he led the church following a season of transition and provided stable, heartfelt leadership.

Robert N. Fairfax was born in Hamilton, Ontario, around 1841. He pursued higher education at a college in St. Catharines, Ontario, and entered the Baptist ministry approximately two decades before his death. His early ministerial work included revival preaching and evangelism throughout Canada and the northeastern United States.

In the winter of 1875, he led a major revival at Queen Street Baptist Church in Toronto. His success led to his call to pastor Calvary Baptist Church in Plainfield, New Jersey, where he served for six years. He was then called to the Baptist Church in Haverhill, Massachusetts, where his effectiveness as a preacher and pastor further elevated his reputation. It was from Haverhill that he was called to the Twelfth Baptist Church in Boston.

A splendid minister, he gave of the fullness of his soul until poor health necessitated that he relocate to Georgia in 1890. When Reverend Fairfax was called to glory, his remains were brought to Boston. 

His funeral was held at Twelfth Baptist Church. This is a manifestation of how deeply Reverend Fairfax had become a part of the soil of TBC.

4th. Pastor (1880-1885) – Rev. Lewis F. Walden – was born in 1833 in Virginia. He served as the fourth pastor of Twelfth Baptist Church in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1880 to 1885. 

During his tenure, he led a congregation of approximately 650 parishioners, continuing the church's mission of providing spiritual guidance and support to the African-American community in Boston.

After resigning from Twelfth Baptist Church in 1885, Rev. Walden's subsequent endeavors are not well-documented. He passed away in 1926 and is interred at Mount Hope Cemetery in Mattapan, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.

3rd. Pastor (1876-1880) – Rev. William C.  Dennis – a Virginia native, became the third pastor of Twelfth Baptist Church in 1876. His appointment came during the post-Reconstruction era, a time of significant challenges for Black communities in Boston and beyond.

Dennis was known for his dedication to his congregation and his efforts to foster resilience and community solidarity. Unfortunately, due to health issues, he resigned from his pastoral duties in 1880 after four years of service.

2nd. Pastor (1874-1876)  – Rev. George Washington Williams – was born on October 16, 1849, in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania, to Thomas and Ellen Rouse Williams. He grew up in a modest household and demonstrated a passion for learning and service at a young age. He was the oldest of four children. At just 14 years old, Williams enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War, under an assumed name because he was too young to meet the age requirement to enlist. He went to Mexico and joined the Republican Army under the command of General Espinosa, fighting to overthrow Emperor Maximilian.  Williams received a commission as a lieutenant, learned some Spanish, and gained a reputation as a good gunner.

Williams became the leader of the flock on April 4, 1874 and was installed as the Second Ordained  Pastor on June 24, 1874. Williams served Twelfth Baptist Church from 1874 to 1876. During his tenure as pastor at TBC, Williams researched and wrote The History of the Twelfth Baptist Church.  Boston, Mass. 1840 1874; A History of Negro Troops in the War of Rebellion and The History of the Negro Race in America, 1619- 1880, an 80-page history of the church documenting its role as a sanctuary for escaped slaves and its contributions to the abolitionist movement. 

1st. Pastor (1848 – 1874) – Rev. Leonard A. Grimes –  Reverend Leonard Andrew Grimes played a pivotal role as one of the principal agents of the Underground Railroad.  Born of free African-American parents in Leesburg, Virginia 1815, he worked as a Hackman.  He purchased several horses and carriages to provide transportation for hire and clandestinely used his business to transport fugitive slaves to the Washington, DC area.In 1839, Grimes was arrested, convicted, assessed a $100 fine and served two years in prison for assisting a woman named Patty and her six children escape from slavery in Loudoun County, Virginia. 

In November 1848, he was ordained as the first pastor of Twelfth Baptist Church, a position he held for 25 years until his death in 1873. Under his leadership, the church earned the moniker "The Fugitives' Church," serving as a sanctuary for escaped slaves and a hub for abolitionist activities.3

1st. Pastor (1808-1829) – Rev. Thomas Paul  – Thomas Paul (1773–1831) was a Baptist minister. In 1805, he became the first pastor for the First African Baptist Church, currently known as the African Meeting House in Boston, Massachusetts.He later helped found the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City. An abolitionist, he was a leader in the black community and was an active missionary in Haiti.Paul lived in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood.[4] His children included activist Susan Paul.[