G. Daniel Jones Receives Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree

G. Daniel Jones, Pastor of Grace Baptist Church of Germantown, Philadelphia, PA, recently was honored by the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia with a Doctor of Divinity Degree, “Honoris Causa.”  This occurred at the 147th Commencement May 20, 2011.  Dr. Jones is a 46 year American Baptist career pastor.  He has served “Grace Church” for the past 29 years. His former pastorates were in the Commonwealths of MA and VA.

He served as an adjunct professor in Practical Theology at the seminary and also at Philadelphia’s, “Center for Urban Theological Studies” a Division of Geneva College.  For seven years, he chaired the Urban Theological Institute Advisory Committee of Lutheran.  For the denomination (ABCUSA) he has supported and served throughout his pastoral career, thus enabling his congregation to be one of the leading African American mission giving parishes.  He is a past moderator of the Philadelphia Baptist Association, a former vice moderator of the American Baptist Churches of the South and a former Director of the American Baptist Churches of MA.  Dr. Jones is a former national president of Ministers Council of the ABCUSA, and is the principal organizer and first president of two local Ministers Councils, namely the American Baptist Churches of the South, and the American Baptist Churches of Philadelphia and Vicinity, known as the Philadelphia Baptist Association.  Pastor Jones, as a General Board member, has served on the Executive Committee and on both the former Educational Ministries Board and the Board of National Ministries.  Currently, he presides as the president of the National Black Caucus of American Baptist Churches. He is the editor of the 300 plus page Centennial Souvenir Journal of our denomination, published in 2007.  The National Commission on the Ministry later known as the Ministerial Leadership Commission, was once chaired by Jones.  He continues to work on his editorialized compilation, “Causes for Smoother Pastoral Transitions, Following Long Termed Pastorates.”