Senior Pastor
The Rev. Dr. Kirkpatrick Cohall currently serves as Senior Pastor for the Lenox Road Baptist Church in Brooklyn New York for the past 25 years. Prior to his pastoral service, Dr. Cohall, for over 13 years, worked as a Medical Technologist at the Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Research Hospital in New York City. He prayerfully made a bold and courageous change in his career path to fulfill a call to pastoral ministry.
Rev. Cohall is a graduate of New York Theological Seminary, with a Master of Divinity (MDiv), a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Fordham University Graduate School of Education. He served as an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Fordham University, St john Fisher College and as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean at New York Theological Seminary, where he also taught in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility (Master’s Degree program). Rev. Cohall currently serves as the chairman for the SUNY Downstate Health Science University Council and has served on several others including Anchor House and American Baptist Churches USA. He is a past president of the Board of International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches overseeing missionaries serving in six continents.
Rev. Cohall has exhibited visionary leadership while serving in the community which reflects the rich diversity in Brooklyn, NY. During the twenty-five years of his leadership, he led the project to rebuild a ($6M) six-million-dollar worship facility, which includes an educational and recreational complex serving the youth of the Flatbush community. This facility offers computer training, summer day camp, a Bible Institute, basketball, and other recreational activities geared to keep at risk youth off the streetsand an after-school program.
The church has also developed several out-reach programs such as health fairs, and marriage and family counseling, geared to the holistic empowerment of the family. Rev. Cohall continues to work closely with community leaders, the police department andhealth facilities in addressing issues such as teenage pregnancies, disparities in health care, youth gang activities and a host of healthand social related issues facing the community.
Rev. Cohall’s area of specialty is in the field of Educational Leadership and Administration. His most research is aphenomenological study exploring the causes, effects and future implications of gentrification on culture, church attendance and the historic mission of the urban Black church. As a pastor he continues to explore emerging methodologies in addressing the many social pathologies in urban America and the role of the church in addressing these issues.
Rev. Cohall and his wife Sophia are the proud parents of two children, Shannon and Kirk.
Rev. Cohall has exhibited visionary leadership while serving a congregation that reflects the rich diversity of Brooklyn. Over more than three decades of leadership, he led the project to rebuild a six-million-dollar worship facility, which includes an educational and recreational complex serving the youth of the Flatbush community. The facility offers computer training, summer day camp, a Bible Institute, basketball, and other recreational activities to keep at-risk youth off the streets, and supports an after-school program.
The church has also developed several outreach programs, including health fairs and marriage and family counseling, geared to the holistic empowerment of the family. Rev. Cohall continues to work closely with community leaders, the police department, and health facilities in addressing issues such as teenage pregnancies, disparities in health care, youth gang activities, and a host of health and social issues facing the community.
Rev. Cohall is a graduate of New York Theological Seminary, holding a Master of Divinity (MDiv) and a Doctor of Ministry (DMin), and earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Fordham University Graduate School of Education. He has served as an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Fordham University and at St. John Fisher College, and as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean at New York Theological Seminary, where he also taught in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility Master's Degree program.
His area of specialty is Educational Leadership and Administration. His most recent research is a phenomenological study exploring the causes, effects, and future implications of gentrification on culture, church attendance, and the historic mission of the urban Black church. As a pastor, he continues to explore emerging methodologies for addressing the many social pathologies in urban America and the role of the church in addressing these issues.
Rev. Cohall currently serves as the Chairman of the SUNY Downstate Health Science University Council, and has served on several other boards, including Anchor House and American Baptist Churches USA. He is a past president of the Board of International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches, overseeing missionaries serving on six continents.
Rev. Cohall and his wife, Sophia, are the proud parents of two children, Shannon and Kirk.
