MEET

A second-generation AME Minister, the Reverend Dr. James A. Keeton, Jr. has over two decades of Christian ministry experience. He serves as the Senior Pastor of Morris Brown AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. One of Dr. Keeton's favorite activities as a child was "playing church." He often put on his house robe and “re-preached” his father’s sermons from the previous Sunday using the giant space heater in the living room as his podium. His younger sister, Melody, was his musician, and he even served Holy Communion, which consisted of sweet tea and saltine crackers. God was preparing Dr. Keeton even then for a life of Christian ministry.

 

An Itinerant Elder in the AME Church, Dr. Keeton has provided pastoral leadership to congregations in Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. As a member of the Palmetto Annual Conference in the Seventh Episcopal District, he is the Dean of the Palmetto Conference Board of Examiners, a member of the Conference Board of Trustees, and he serves as the Chairperson of the Committee on Presiding Elder Salary and Upkeep. He is a member of the Order of the FLAME of World Methodist Evangelism. 

 

Dr. Keeton served as the co-chairperson of the of the Legislative Task Force of the Seventh Episcopal District during the 52nd Quadrennial Session of the General Conference of the AME Church in 2024. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Emanuel-Morris Brown-Ebenezer (EME) Apartments, Inc., and he serves as the Vice-President and Chaplain for the Board of Trustees for the Iva M. Lester Memorial Scholarship Committee. In 2024, Dr. Keeton was honored by the renowned MOJA Arts Festival in the area of religion during the Community Tribute Luncheon. 

 

Dr. Keeton's academic journey is a testament to his commitment to learning and growth. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Albany State University, Albany, Georgia, a Master of Arts degree in politics from the National University of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, a Master of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School, Durham, North Carolina, and a Doctor of Ministry degree in Transformational Leadership from Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. His pursuit of knowledge also led him to further study at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. 

 

As a prolific writer, Dr. Keeton’s interests include systematic theology, transformational leadership, Christian praxis, and church history. Dr. Keeton is married to the former Leslie Gooch of Thomaston, Georgia, and they share two sons: Tyson and Jeston. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Prince Hall Lodge #46 (PHA), and the George Washington Carver Consistory #162 (PHA). In his leisure, Dr. Keeton enjoys listening to jazz, reading, writing, and traveling to new and exciting places.