Jason Turner ’06 M.Div.

The Rev. Dr. J. Lawrence Turner has served as the Senior Pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Memphis, Tenn., since 2013. Prior to that, he served at Community Baptist Church in New Haven for seven years. Turner has served his alma mater and community via numerous leadership roles, including President of the Yale Divinity School Student Council; Vice President of the Connecticut State Missionary Baptist Convention; and Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority of New Haven. In 2014 and 2017, he was recognized by Outreach Magazine as one of the emerging young leaders serving as a senior pastor of a megachurch. Dr. Turner is a 2017 graduate of the Leadership Memphis Executive Class, which prepares and mobilizes leaders to work together for the good of the community. Most recently, he was selected as a 2019 Memphis Business Journal 40 UNDER 40 honoree, which recognizes people under age 40 in the Memphis and Mid-South area who have made significant contributions to the community in the business, professional, and civic arenas.