Senior Pastor
Pastor
Rev. John C. Welch,
M.Div., PhD
Rev. Dr. John C. Welch is a native of Pittsburgh where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering & Economics from Carnegie Mellon University and began a productive 22-year career in information technology working for several Fortune 100 and 500 companies.
Dr. Welch received a Master of Divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from Duquesne University in Healthcare Ethics. His service includes 27 years of ministry experience. For 13 years Dr. Welch was Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Service & Community Engagement at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
Dr. Welch has served on numerous city-wide and national boards and advisory committees including the City of Pittsburgh’s Ethics Hearing Board and the Sports and Exhibition Authority. He also served as Chief Chaplain for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for ten years. Presently Dr. Welch sits on the Ethics Committees for Forbes Hospital and UPMC Passavant and is also the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Gamaliel Network in Chicago, IL.
Dr. Welch is an adjunct professor of Business Ethics at the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business, and the University of Pittsburgh’s Consortium Ethics Program. He has received several recognitions including the Human Rights Award from Church Woman United, Inc., the NAACP Pittsburgh Chapter Pastor of the Year Award, and the YWCA Racial Justice Award. In 2017 Dr. Welch was a Democratic candidate for Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh pushing the narrative to address lead toxicity in the city’s water supply and vacant lots, as well as the inequity in housing and community development.
Dr. Welch is married to Rev. Dr. B. De Neice Welch and they are the parents of four adults and grandparents to three.
