Our Pastor

Pastor Michael Chapman was born and raised in Western New York and is a product  of the community in which he serves. Called to the Ministry and licensed in 1988 he  was installed as Pastor of the St. John Baptist Church in 2002. On April 9, 2017, Pastor Chapman was elevated to the office of Overseer which includes Pastor of the Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church.

For over 15 years, Pastor Chapman has propelled St. John Baptist Church and its subsidiaries into the   forefront as a major player in the economic and community development initiatives of the City of Buffalo and Western New York region. He serves as Pastor and CEO of the forty-five acre St. John campus that includes a 3800 member congregation, McCarley Gardens Housing Complex, St. John Tower Senior housing, and the Rev. Bennett W. Smith Family Life Center.

St. John Hospice House was opened in June 2008. The development and construction of a faith based community Hospice Facility is unprecedented as the first of its kind in the United States.  In addition, Pastor Chapman has established the following corporations: The Fruit Belt Community Development Corporation, which is a Single Family Home and Town  Home Construction with Phase I, completed in 2009.

Pastor  Chapman’s vision is to provide Hospice care and transitional services in the minority community in which we live and work. For this work, Pastor Chapman received the 2009 Howard University Hospital Spirituality in Medicine Award which recognizes a member of the clergy for outstanding accomplishments in the area of Health Care with the connection to spirituality. Pastor Chapman is a gifted sermon orator and teacher with  exceptional administrative skills, has expanded the St John Baptist Church ministries and  auxiliaries to over 37 and he continues to realize his vision as the Founder and CEO of  Blessed of the Lord Ministries which is a production company which produces Gospel  concerts, plays and various other venues of religious content.

Pastor Chapman holds a Bachelors Degree, three Masters Degrees, an Honorary Doctorate Degree and is a much sought after speaker, lecturer, and facilitator. Pastor Chapman is a devoted Husband and Father of five children and 30 grandchildren. He is the son of Herschel, Sr. and the late Irene Chapman.  He and his childhood soul mate of 42 years, Ina R. Chapman currently reside in Buffalo, New York.