wcroft

The Reverend Wayne E. Croft, Sr., DMin, PhD

Wayne E. Croft, Sr., serves as pastor of the St. Paul’s Baptist Church in West Chester, PA. Prior to this assignment, Dr. Croft 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 the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and has been inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also a prolific writer. The African-American Pulpit Journal published his sermons The Promise Guaranteed (Summer 1999), A Candidate for the Hall of Faith (Winter 2008-2009), and his article entitled What Does it Mean to Preach Biblically Today (Winter 2003). He is a contributor to the book From One Brother to Another: Voices of African-American Men, Volume II. (Judson Press), and has a forthcoming book, Unexpected Calls to Unexpected Places. He has published two articles in the Past Master section of Preaching Magazine; “John Jasper: Preaching with Authority” and “E. K. Bailey: Expositor of the Word.” 

Dr. Croft has served as the Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Liturgics at Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University in Philadelphia, and now serves as The Jeremiah A. Wright, Sr. Associate Professor of Homiletics and Liturgics in African American Studies at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. 

Dr. Croft has distinguished himself as not only a pastor but also a scholar, having earned an Associate degree from Pinebrook Jr. College, where he was also named Northeastern Junior College All-American Basketball player, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Trinity College, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree. He received the Master of Divinity degree from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer 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 a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Drew University.  He is the first person to earn two doctoral degrees from Drew University.  Dr. Croft is married to Dr. Lisa L. Croft, a family physician, and they have three children, Darlene, a law student at North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC, Wayne Jr., a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, and Candace Nicole, a high school student.