Biography

The Reverend Elijah Llewellyn McDavid III is a passionate disciple, dynamic preacher and cultural architect. He proudly serves as the pastor of the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This dynamic congregation sits as a beacon of hope in North Minneapolis and is committed to sharing love throughout the Twin Cities. Under Pastor McDavid’s leadership Fellowship has provided groceries, Christmas toys, utility and rent assistance to hundreds of Minnesota families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pastor McDavid received his Master of Divinity from the Union Theological Seminary (Columbia University) in New York City and while there held the distinction of being the James Forbes Scholar. He is also a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Before coming to Fellowship, Rev. McDavid served on the pastoral staff of the Alfred Street Baptist Church of Alexandria, VA, the First Corinthian Baptist Church of Harlem, NY, and the First Iconium Baptist Church of Atlanta, GA. Rev. McDavid also worked as the content director for ROHO, a multimedia source for sermons and inspiration. During his time at ROHO, he oversaw content development for over two million monthly subscribers.

Rev. McDavid is the only child of Elijah & Lynne McDavid Jr. who raised him in Arlington, VA. He is blessed to walk in the spiritual lineage of his grandfather, the late Rev. Dr. Coolidge Johnson, a pastor and civil rights leader in South Carolina. Pastor McDavid received the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior in 2004 at the Second Baptist Church of Falls Church, VA, where he was baptized by the late Rev. Dr. James E. Browne. While at Second Baptist, he was mentored by the late Deaconess Sandra Eskridge and the late Chad Terry who nurtured his gifts for public speaking. Years later he yielded to God’s call and in July 2012 he became the youngest person to be licensed to ministry in the 200-year history of the Alfred Street Baptist Church.

Pastor McDavid is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the Phi Beta Kappa Society, and an alum of the Institute for Responsible Citizenship. For his service, Pastor McDavid has been blessed with many honors and distinctions. He is the winner of the 2014 Otis Moss Jr. Oratorical Contest, a 2013 inductee into the Academy of Preachers, and in 2009 was honored by former President Barack Obama at the White House Father’s Day Barbecue. Pastor McDavid’s love of serving and inspiring people has granted him the opportunity to speak throughout the United States as well as abroad in Sierra Leone and Singapore.

In addition to his love for ministry, Pastor McDavid is an avid runner, piano player, and part time restaurant critic. Most of all he is grateful for his amazing friends whose love and support play an undeniable role in his life. He prays for each of them that the timeless promise of 1 Peter 5:10 would be manifest in their lives as it has been in his: “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.”

You can follow Pastor McDavid on Instagram & Twitter: @RevEliMac