The Rev. Phillip RJ Davis will be formally installed as senior pastor at Nations Ford Community Church on Friday, taking over the pulpit his father founded more than 27 years ago.
The church released a statement Tuesday saying the younger Davis “is the person, desired by his father, the late Bishop Phillip M. Davis, and his mother, Dr. Cynthia L. Davis, to be elevated to the office of Senior Pastor.” He had previously served as pastor of the church’s Ballantyne campus.
This installation service will be a “celebratory occasion to recognize Pastor RJ Davis’ calling and to acknowledge his responsibilities and duties as new Senior Pastor,” the statement said.
Phillip Davis, 62, died Aug. 29 in an accidental shooting inside his Union County home. Investigators said he was cleaning a gun when it fired, the bullet striking his chest.
Phillip JR Davis, one of three children, had served as interim pastor since shortly after his father’s death.
The elder Davis founded the church in 1988 and worked alongside his wife to build it into one of Charlotte’s most dynamic congregations. In 2012 he founded the Male Leadership Academy there, which he hoped would provide academic and gender-specific nurturing to young males of color.
According to the church’s website, “Pastor RJ” holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from the UNC Charlotte. He is a graduate of the Talbot School of Theology, in LaMirada, Calif., where he earned a Masters of Divinity degree. He was licensed to ministry at Nations Ford Community Church and ordained to ministry at Antioch Church, Long Beach, Calif.
WANT TO GO?
Date: Friday November 6, 2015
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: 5901 Nations Ford Rd Charlotte
