Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church names new pastor

The historic Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once served, has named a new pastor.

The Rev. Dr. Allen J. Sims Sr. has been named as the new senior pastor and will preach his inaugural sermon at 10:30AM on November 5.

Sims is a native of Montgomery. He says his philosophy of ministry mirrors the message of an 18th century hymn, “A Charge to Keep I Have,” which includes the words, “to serve the present age.”

“That is my calling,” said Sims. “And it is a call to each of us – to serve God today, in the world as it is. We may be going through difficult times, but we should never be without hope. God is always with us and in turn, we can be present as we serve one another.

As Dexter’s senior pastor, Sims follows the path of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was the church’s pastor from 1954 until 1960. During King’s tenure, members of the church organized and led the Montgomery Bus Boycott, one of the seminal events of the Civil Rights Movement. Dexter is the only church where King served as lead pastor.

“Dr. Sims brings to Dexter the ministerial and professional experience that we believe will be beneficial to our congregation and this community. We look forward to this new era of our church,” said Addre’ Bryant Jr., presiding chair of Dexter’s Deacon Board.

A licensed social worker with three decades of experience, Sims is also an adjunct professor at Selma University’s Ministry Training Institute, an academic component of Samford University. He has pastored churches in Marion, Abbeville and Montgomery. Sims achieved a Doctor of Ministry degree in 2013 from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, after successfully defending his dissertation, “Care and Intervention of High Risk African American Males: A Pastoral Perspective.”

Rev. Dr. Allen J. Sims Sr., senior pastor of Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church – Photo provided by Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church

He holds two master’s degrees – one in Bible and Pastoral Ministry from Selma University, where he graduated summa cum laude, and another in Christian Counseling from American Christian College and Seminary in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Sims earned a bachelor’s degree in social work at Alabama State University.

Presently, he is enrolled in an online graduate-level Social Work Program at Walden University.

Sims is also a veteran. In 1988, he graduated from Auburn University Reserve Officer Training Corps where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. He was then stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he served as a lance missile officer.

Sims is married to Marcella Sims and has four children and six grandchildren. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.

Founded in 1877, Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church is a national landmark due to the role of Dr. King and Dexter membership during the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Sims replaces Rev. Cromwell Handy, who served from 2013-2022, before starting his own church downtown.