Pastor Crowley Performing "Let the Word Go Forth" with the Boston Symphony in Celebration of the 100th Birthday of President John F. Kennedy. The performance was from the film Score JFK and Celebration: American Journey by John Williams
From left, Congressman Joseph Kennedy III, Newton Mayor Setti Warren, Rabbi Allison Berry of Temple Shalom, and the Rev. Brandon Thomas Crowley of Myrtle Baptist Church held hands on the steps of Newton City Hall as Crowley gave the opening prayer for a rally to condemn white supremacist groups.
Reverend Crowley giving the invocation for the inauguration of Myrtle member Dr. Yvonne Spicer, the first Mayor of Framingham, Massachusetts.
As a distinguished alum and former resident of Cedartown, Rev. Crowley was given the honor to deliver the 2014 commencement address for his alma mater Cedartown High School in Georgia.
Biography
The Reverend Doctor 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 persons at the end of Reconstruction and one of the nation's few open and affirming historically Black churches. In addition to his pastoral role, Dr. Crowley is a Lecturer in Ministry Studies at Harvard University's Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has taught courses at Boston University, the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, the New York Theological Seminary, and the Meadville Lombard Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL. 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 University's 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. His scholarship reflects his commitment to fostering inclusivity and challenging societal norms within African American faith communities. Beyond his pastoral and academic roles, Dr. Crowley serves on various boards and leads several communal organizations. He serves as a member of the inaugural Council of Religious Practitioners and Scholars for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. Additionally, Dr. Crowley is an active member of the Harvard Alumni Council and membership selection committee, the Newton-Wellesley Hospital Community Benefits and Needs Assessment Committees, and holds the position of Executive Director and Chief Curator of the African American Lectionary. Ordained in the Progressive National Baptist Convention of America, Inc., and licensed by the National Baptist Convention of America, Dr. Crowley brings a wealth of wisdom and dedication to his work. He resides in Boston with his husband, Tyrone Sutton, an administrator in the Boston public school system, and their beloved 14-year-old Maltese pup, Bishop.
Rev. Crowley Preaching at the Historic Union Chapel of Martha's Vineyard.
Rev. Crowley Preaching at The Old South Church in Back Bay for Boston Pride 2017