PAstor L.J. Beal
Pastor LaDarius J. Beal is an ordained minister, prophetic voice, activist, and community organizer whose ministry stands at the intersection of faith and justice. With a deep conviction rooted in Luke 4:18–19, Pastor Beal believes that any theology void of a sociology is incomplete. His preaching is a clarion call for liberation, healing, and systemic transformation, especially for those historically unheard and unattended to.
Pastor Beal’s ministry reaches beyond national borders. He has engaged in missions work in Ethiopia, Liberia, Haiti, and Israel. Most recently, he joined a distinguished cohort of forty young Black theologians, historians, and seminarians on a ten-day research pilgrimage to the Holy Land. There, they examined the life and liberating ministry of Jesus in its socio-political context. They also partnered with the world-renowned Save a Child’s Heart Foundation.
On October 1, 2023, Pastor Beal was officially appointed by Bishop James C. Austin, Sr. as the Pastor of Wallace Temple, located on the South Side of Chicago. Realizing the needs of the area, Pastor Beal founded the Abounding Community Development Corporation as an extension arm of the church to focus on affordable housing, financial literacy, food security, and social justice. Pastor Beal now serves as the Superintendent of the Number Eight District, within the Fifth Illinois Jurisdiction-East of the Church of God in Christ, Inc., where he is responsible for the spiritual and temporal affairs of the local churches in the Number Eight District.
Pastor Beal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Black Studies from Trinity Christian College, where he also served four terms as President of the Black Student Union. He earned a Master’s Certificate in Organizational Leadership from Bethune-Cookman University and pursued graduate studies in Public Administration at Saint Augustine’s University. He is a Black Theology and Leadership Institute Fellow of Princeton Theological Seminary. Pastor Beal is a current Master of Divinity candidate at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University.
Pastor Beal embodies a new generation of leaders—unapologetically Black, unashamedly Christian, and deeply committed to the liberation of God’s people.