Blessed with a Burden

I discerned very early that Dr. Anthony Chandler possessed an unusual gift for transitioning traditional churches. The unique care of the people, while at the same time providing the necessary push to accept the "new wine skins" ministry needed was more than skill for him. It was clear then and confirmed with this much needed work that Dr. Chandler has been given a gift.


Story after story is told of the struggles that exist between pastors and their congregations. While there are many reasons for this, one of the seldom accepted realities is that transitioning takes skill and grace. It may be that the church invites the presence of the pastor's vision and the novelty of his or her ideas, as long as those ideas don't mess with the sacred pillars or practices and methods that have been held dear by that congregation long before the pastor arrived. Dr. Chandler has proven in two significant churches that the care of the soul and the shifting of an institution don't have to be mutually exclusive.


The principles he offers in this much needed work will provide you a time- proven, context-driven model for painlessly leading your congregation through transition. In both of his pastorates, I was refreshingly surprised observing the continual health of the congregations while at the same time noticing the changes that took place; many of which were the very reasons other pastors found themselves in the middle of church fights. It was then that I started really paying attention to what Dr. Chandler was doing, his methods of communicating and the shaping of His agenda. While working with pastors across the country, many of whom are walking into a context that needs transition in order to survive, I have directed them to observe very carefully the leadership of Dr. Chandler. Read his work, be blessed by his devotion to God, care for the people of God and his boldness to demand that a church stay relevant and faithful. Trust me; you will agree he is the resource we need for taking our churches forward.

Dr. William H. Curtis

Senior Pastor

"The Mount"


Author Bio: Reverend Dr. Anthony Michael Chandler is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. He is the son of Thomas Chandler and Queen Jones. He was educated in the Baltimore City Public School System, having graduated from the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. He earned the Bachelor of Arts Degree from Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia in May of 1995. In the year 2000, he earned the Master of Divinity Degree from Howard University, Washington, D.C. and in 2003, the Doctor of Ministry Degree, focusing on Preaching and Leadership in the Black Church from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He is currently enrolled in the Fast Track Executive MBA Program at Virginia Commonwealth University.


In March 2000, while a graduate intern at the New Psalmist Baptist Church, Reverend Chandler was elected as the second pastor of the New Bethlehem Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland. In less than seven years, the church grew from less than 50 members to more than 600 members, necessitating the need for an additional morning service and increased capital gain.

In December 2007, the Cedar Street Baptist Church of God located in Richmond, Virginia, after 52 years of being led by their former pastor, accepted God's will to have Dr. Chandler serve and lead them as their new shepherd. His charismatic, innovative and stellar leadership abilities have led this congregation of 2000+ members to pursue a deeper relationship with God while renewing relationships, replacing religiosity with spirituality and leading them in reclaiming their God ordained destiny.


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