Bishop Van B. Gayton
Dr. Van Gayton has over 40 years of experience as a professor, pastor, and conference speaker, teaching and training students and leaders throughout the world. He holds Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Theology, most recently receiving a Doctor of Ministry from Reformed Theological Seminary. He has taught subjects such as Philosophy of Religion at Jamestown Community College, The African American Religious Experience at the University at Buffalo, and The Bible and Race at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Van was the protestant chaplain for the Federal Bureau of Prisons at FCI McKean, Pennsylvania, and a high school bible teacher/principal at Providence School in Jacksonville, Florida. Currently, Dr. Gayton is the academic dean at the William’s Bible Institute and Seminary in Jacksonville, Florida.
Van was raised and ordained in the Church of God In Christ and is also a consecrated Bishop in the Evangelical Episcopal Church.
Dr. Gayton has traveled globally, speaking and teaching in leadership seminars for clergy. He traveled to Turkey with a Muslim delegation to participate in dialogue for understanding between the Muslim and Christian religions. Dr. Gayton has lectured at several churches and universities for Black History Month, including Harvard Divinity School, Niagara University, University at Buffalo, UCLA, the University of Pennsylvania, and Princeton Seminary. He was on the Board of Directors for the Institute of Religion and Public Policy in Washington D.C., a think tank nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He is also a member of the Alliance for Black Pentecostal Scholarship and the Society of Pentecostal Studies. Van is a fellow of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute of Hebrew College and a senior fellow of the Harris Institute. Van is on the board of advisors for Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, Florida.
Van has been married to his high school sweetheart, Ellen, for 54 years and has a daughter, Tabetha, and granddaughter, Jasmine.
Van was raised and ordained in the Church of God In Christ and is also a consecrated Bishop in the Evangelical Episcopal Church.
Dr. Gayton has traveled globally, speaking and teaching in leadership seminars for clergy. He traveled to Turkey with a Muslim delegation to participate in dialogue for understanding between the Muslim and Christian religions. Dr. Gayton has lectured at several churches and universities for Black History Month, including Harvard Divinity School, Niagara University, University at Buffalo, UCLA, the University of Pennsylvania, and Princeton Seminary. He was on the Board of Directors for the Institute of Religion and Public Policy in Washington D.C., a think tank nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He is also a member of the Alliance for Black Pentecostal Scholarship and the Society of Pentecostal Studies. Van is a fellow of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute of Hebrew College and a senior fellow of the Harris Institute. Van is on the board of advisors for Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, Florida.
Van has been married to his high school sweetheart, Ellen, for 54 years and has a daughter, Tabetha, and granddaughter, Jasmine.