Following a yearlong sabbatical after fifteen years of distinguished service, alumnus Bishop Claude R. Alexander Jr. (DMin ’04) is stepping down from the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary board of trustees. Bishop Claude joined the board in 2009, was appointed vice chair in 2011, and served as chair from 2018 to 2023. J. Christy Wilson, III has served as interim chair since 2023 and will continue in this role until another chairperson is elected by the board.

During his tenure, Bishop Claude led the seminary through unprecedented challenges—the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, and significant changes in higher education—toward a strategic plan that is guiding the seminary in its tactical and spiritual renewal. He was also instrumental in establishing the seminary’s Michael E. Haynes Center for Black Christian Leadership. The center honors late board member Rev. Haynes, a renowned leader in the Church and public sector, and aims to prepare Black Christian leaders for ministry, the workplace, and the academy.

“Gordon-Conwell is tremendously grateful for Bishop Claude’s excellent leadership and pastoral heart,” says vice chair Diana Bennett. “His innovative thinking and steady, biblical guidance will leave a lasting legacy.”

Bishop Claude is the senior pastor of The Park Ministries, a congregation in Charlotte, NC with over 8,000 members. In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, he lends his leadership to the boards of institutions such as Christianity Today, the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, BioLogos, and The Trinity Forum. Bishop Claude will continue to be involved at Gordon-Conwell as an alumnus and proponent of equipping men and women with theological education for wherever God calls them.

J. Christy Wilson, III, son of the late Gordon-Conwell professor J Christy Wilson, Jr., has served on the board since 1993 and shares Bishop Claude’s deep commitment to Gordon-Conwell’s history, mission, and future. As interim chair of the board since 2023, he oversaw the signing of the purchase and sale agreement of the seminary’s underutilized apartments. He looks forward to continuing to help the seminary magnify high academic standards, deepen character and spiritual formation, extend global missional engagement, and ensure sustainable operations.

“The board stewards the seminary’s physical, academic, and spiritual resources, and we have been blessed by the care and guidance of Bishop Claude,” shares seminary president Dr. Scott Sunquist. “We thank God for Bishop Claude and for our incoming chair, J. Christy Wilson, III.”