Our Pastor

Rev. Jamar A. Boyd, II serves as the 17th pastor of Kenwood United Church of Christ in Chicago, IL, and concurrently as the Associate, Office of the President at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

His academic foundation includes a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management and Business from Georgia Southern University and a Master of Divinity from The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. Rev. Boyd was also a graduate fellow of The GIFT Collaborative of Black Theological Education & Black Faith Traditions and a Fellow of the Religion & Society Collective of the Aspen Institute.

Before his current roles, Rev. Boyd was the Senior Manager of Organizational Impact for the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc., contributing to the organizational strategy for engaging African American clergy and emerging leaders in racial justice. He also held positions as both a Justice Reform Organizer and an Economic Justice Organizer at the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.

From 2014 to 2019, Rev. Boyd was an officer and ultimately President of the Georgia State Conference NAACP Youth & College Division, where he was certified as an NAACP National Electoral Trainer. His advocacy work during this period included participation in the 2018 Environmental and Climate Justice symposium and both the 2018 and 2019 NAACP National Conventions. In 2019, he was honored with the inaugural “Charles & Adrienne White Student Activism Award.” He continued his leadership as Youth Works Chairman for the Georgia State Conference NAACP from October 2019 to February 2022.

Reverend Boyd acknowledged his call to gospel ministry in 2014, leading to his licensure at Agape Worship Center in Statesboro, Georgia. There, he served as a Pastoral Assistant, gaining valuable experience under the guidance of Reverend Donald Chavers, Jr. His formative years in ministry also included a role as Director of Youth Ministry at Saint Smyrna Baptist Church in Newnan, Georgia, where he served under the leadership of Reverend Tamarkus T. Cook. Following a move to Richmond, Virginia, Reverend Boyd partnered with Bishop Clarence L. Sellers, Jr. at Dominion Church of God in Christ in Portsmouth, Virginia. Concurrently, while pursuing his seminary studies, he served as a Pastoral Assistant–Student Intern at Cedar Street Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia. With the successful completion of his Master of Divinity, Reverend Boyd was ordained by Reverend Dr. Anthony M. Chandler, Sr., a significant moment affirmed by the congregation of Cedar Street Baptist Church.

Rev. Boyd is a featured contributor in "Preaching During a Pandemic: The Rhetoric of the Black Preaching Tradition, Volume I." His writings are also available on platforms such as Abernathy Magazine, Baptist News Global, Faithfully Magazine, Faith and Leadership, Medium, and Sojourners Magazine. He is a respected member of the Board of Directors for The Oikos Institute for Social Impact and the Hyde Park & Kenwood Interfaith Council. Committed to Black theological education, he also consults for The Collaborative.