James I. Clark, Jr.

Pastor Dr. James I. Clark is the oldest son of Bishop James I. Clark, Jr. and Mother Rachel Clark; the husband of Mother Shirley L. Clark; father of three children: James III, Renee, and Rhonda; grandfather of four and great grandfather of four. Pastor Clark is also an eminent scholar and administrator. To some, he is known as “Apostle”, to others, “Bishop”, but to the Christ Temple family, where he serves as Senior Pastor, he is “Pastor”.

Pastor Clark served in the United States Air Force for several years and, after his honorable discharge, pursued a career in private industry which spanned close to 30 years in executive level positions at several corporations. Service is at the core of everything Pastor Clark has done – whether it was recruiting underrepresented students as Director of Minority Affairs at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business, or counseling displaced employees as Director of Training and Development at Pfizer, Inc. Pastor Clark’s long-standing commitment to service continues today and is exemplified in his development of special community-related programs as part of Christ Temple’s mission. This desire to serve has found fresh expression in Pastor Clark’s work in social justice. He takes seriously the admonition of Proverbs 31:9 – “Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy”. In furtherance of this part of his charge, Pastor serves as the Co-Chair of Faith in New York,  the Chair of Faith in Action, member of the Advisory Council to the Mayor of New York City and Director of Social Justice for COOLJC.

Pastor Clark has trained hard and consistently. He holds a Doctor of Education degree from Columbia University, a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and a Bachelor of Theology degree from American Divinity School. In 2015, he earned a second Doctor of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix.

Pastor Clark’s abilities and dedication have not gone unrecognized. He has been applauded through such honors as the National Fellowship for Black Pastors by the Congress of National Black Churches, the Bennett Fellowship by Auburn Theological Seminary, the Hudnut Award by Union Theological Seminary, The Black Achievers Award by Pfizer, Inc., the YMCA,  the Business Service Award by Columbia University, the COGME Fellowship and he was also listed in Who’s Who Among Black Americans. In the midst of all these accomplishments, Pastor Clark’s walk with God is clear evidence that nothing replaces Jesus as, “the center of [his] joy”.

Pastor Clark served as the Presiding Apostle of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, Inc. from 2001-2007, Assistant Pastor of Greater Refuge Temple, Bishop of the Westchester Diocese, Chair of the Board of Bishops (COOLJC) and member of the Corporate Advisory Council for the Children’s Aid Society. In addition to serving as Senior Pastor of Christ Temple, Pastor Clark currently serves as the Apostle of Foreign Missions in the Caribbean. In 2017, Bishop Clark was elected to serve a second term as Presiding Apostle of COOLJC.

Pastor Clark engenders a feeling of hope in those who enjoy the blessing of being around him. They benefit from his love for God’s people, his life, dedication, prayers, wisdom and love for God’s Word and what it requires of believers.