• Community Inspiration News

    Making History: Dr. Jacqueline Thompson Elected to Lead Oakland’s Historic Allen Temple Baptist Church

    Dr Jacqueline Thompson 1

    9 years after being installed as Assistant Pastor, members of the Allen Temple Baptist Church have elected Dr. Jacqueline Thompson to lead the 100 year old congregation.

    A look back at Pastor Thompson’s 2010 installation:

    This historic move, seals her gift and voice in the future of the congregation as the first woman to ever serve in the capacity of Senior Pastor.

    Announced during a special call meeting, held following service on April 7th, Thompson received 90% of over 2,000 votes casts. Pastor Emeritus, Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Sr. was on hand and lead the congregation in prayer following the historic announcement.

    Under the leadership of both Dr.’s J. Alfred Smith, Sr. and Jr., Allen Temple has been a progressive presence, and respected voice throughout ecumenical communities near and far.

    A native of East Oakland, Thompson is no stranger to the challenges of the “Deep East Oakland” neighborhood surrounding the church. Skyrocketing rent, and homelessness effect the entire city – however, East Oakland’s burden has been magnified by years of structural inequality, disinvestment, and racial residential segregation.

    The official statement from Allen Temple reads:

    ALLEN TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH ELECTS DR. JACQUELINE A. THOMPSON AS SENIOR PASTOR

    OAKLAND, CA April 7, 2019: At a special Congregational meeting on Sunday, April 7, 2019, the Allen Temple Baptist Church made history by voting to elect Dr. Jacqueline A. Thompson as its’ new Senior Pastor – the ninth Senior Pastor and the first woman to ever serve in this capacity in the 100 year history of this pioneering congregation.

    Pastor Thompson, a native of the Bay Area, first joined the Allen Temple Baptist Church at the age of twelve and was an active member and leader across multiple ministries. In March of 1995, Dr. Thompson accepted her call to ministry and was subsequently licensed to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in July of 1995 and ordained to the ministry in October of 1998 by Reverend Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Sr., Pastor Emeritus of the Allen Temple Baptist Church. Her educational accomplishments include a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California Berkeley, Masters of Divinity with honors from Howard University, and a Doctor of Ministry in African American Church Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary.

    In March 2010, Dr. Thompson was installed as Allen Temple’s Assistant Pastor; the first woman to serve in that capacity. Previously, she served as the Minister of Community Outreach/Executive Director of the Henry C. Gregory Family Life Center Foundation at the Shiloh Baptist Church of Washington, DC and the Minister of Youth at Shiloh Baptist Church of Washington, DC.

    Pastor Thompson is a highly sought preacher and speaker, having preached, taught and developed firm relationships across denominational lines as well as in mainstream civic and political organizations across the United States and the Caribbean. She has had the privilege of preaching in many arenas previously uncharted by women.

    Allen Temple Baptist Church – Press Release (April 7, 2019)
    Words of Thanks from Senior Pastor Elect Dr Jacqueline Thompson

    View a heartfelt message from our Senior Pastor Elect Dr Jacqueline Thompson!

    Posted by Allen Temple Baptist Church on Wednesday, April 10, 2019

    You Might Also Like

    1 Comment

    Leave a Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.