Pastor Gerald A. Cooper, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, has led Wayman Chapel A.M.E. Church in Dayton since December 2013. His previous pastoral assignments include St. James A.M.E. Church (Cleveland, OH), St. James A.M.E. Church (Erie, PA) St. Paul A.M.E. Church (Zanesville, OH), and Mt. Pisgah A.M.E. Church (St. Clairsville, OH).

Pastor Cooper earned the B.A. degree from the College of Wooster (Wooster, OH), where he majored in Economics.  He earned the Juris Doctor degree from Capital University Law School (Columbus, OH), where he graduated with honors and was inducted into the Order of the Curia (National Honorary Legal Fraternity).  Pastor Cooper earned the Master of Divinity degree from Payne Theological Seminary (Wilberforce, OH), where he graduated first in his class and received, among other honors, the Senior Award for Academic Achievement.

   Click To Listen

Pastor Cooper is dedicated to a ministry of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through sound biblical teaching and Holy Spirit-inspired, exegetical preaching.  While he is committed to tending to the spiritual needs of the congregation for which he is blessed to serve as pastor, he has also had the opportunity to preach and teach in various regions of the country.  In addition to preaching, teaching, and evangelizing, Pastor Cooper conducts workshops and seminars on various topics relating to pastoral conduct and legal issues that impact churches and ministries. A few of his numerous presentations and publications over the years include:

• Black Christian Men: Building Community Out of Crisis
  
• Legal Pitfalls for Pastors to Avoid
• Stewards and Trustees Leadership Training Workshop
• Ministry in Anxious Times
• Church Doctrines in the Methodist Tradition (for the AME Department of Church Growth and Development’s Evangelism Certification Program)
• Church Growth from an African American Perspective (a workshop based on the book of the same name by Donald Hilliard)
• Historical Perspective on the Mission of the A.M.E. Church
• The “In Trust Clause”: A.M.E. Church Property
• Giving With Attitude (published in The Joy of Giving More than Enough, by Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram)
• Evangelism: Preparing the Church to Witness for Christ
• Prepared for a Purpose: Alumni Serving Well (published in The Anvil)
• Employment and Tax Issues Facing the Church
• Judicial Process and Procedure in the A.M.E. Church
• Redefining Ministry to Serve the Present Age
• Diversity Issues Facing the Legal Profession

Pastor Cooper has also conducted numerous workshops on the issue of sexual misconduct.

Pastor Cooper has demonstrated dedicated and effective leadership within the African Methodist Episcopal Church at every level. He served for four years on the Connectional Strategic Planning Core Team of the A.M.E. Church and for two years on the Connectional Strategic Planning Implementation Team. He served on the General Board from 2004 – 2016 and from 2021 to the present. He was a delegate to the General Conference from 2004 – 2024 and served as the leader of the Third Episcopal District delegation in 2021 and 2024. He served as the Dean of the North Ohio Conference Board of Examiners for 12 years. He has also served as a member of the Board of Examiners and as a Conference Trustee in the Pittsburgh Conference, the North Ohio Conference, and the Ohio-South Ohio Conference.

Pastor Cooper has demonstrated extensive and impactful leadership in each of the communities in which he has pastored. Many lives and situations were improved as a result of his service in various civic and community organizations. He is a member of the Faith and Order Commission of the Ohio Council of Churches and a member of the West Dayton Caravan of Churches. He serves on the Advisory Council of the Westwood Right Project CDC, which has been instrumental in transforming the neighborhood by restoring vacant and dilapidated housing and conducting various other restoration and beautification projects. He served on the Westwood Planning Grant Committee and the Strategic Plan Steering Committee. Through these efforts, a planning grant was secured and the first comprehensive Strategic Plan was developed for the Westwood Community.

Pastor Cooper was one of the founding Executive Committee members of Greater Cleveland Congregations. During his tenure there, this interfaith social action organization played a major role in addressing concerns with the public school system, the passage of collateral sanctions legislation, the expansion of Medicaid in Ohio, and the adoption of criminal justice reform in Cuyahoga County.

Pastor Cooper has also served as an Advisory Board member of the Center for Urban Development of the United Theological Seminary, a member of the Citizens Advisory Council of the Cleveland Empowerment Zone, a Board member of the Richard Allen Schools, a Board member of Urban Erie Community Development Corporation, a board member of Congregational Action to Lift with Love (CALL),  and as the City of Erie’s mayoral representative on the Regional Government Opportunities Task Force in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Pastor Cooper is also an attorney and an educator. He is an Adjunct Faculty member of Payne Theological Seminary, where he teaches A.M.E. Polity and Practice, and has also taught A.M.E. Church History. As an attorney, Pastor Cooper is a solo practitioner focusing primarily in the areas of nonprofit corporation law and contract negotiation.  He previously practiced with the law firm of Thompson Hine in Columbus, Ohio, in the areas of telecommunications regulatory law and commercial law. 

Pastor Cooper is married to the Rev. Dr. Mila P. Cooper. They are the proud parents of Nia Patrice and Mariah Nicole, and the grandparents of Grace.

Pastor Cooper’s family has a long history in the A.M.E. Church, stretching back, at least, five generations, to his paternal great-great grandfather, Robert R. Cooper (1850 – 1921). His grandfather, the Rev. Solomon Morris Cooper (1900-1988) pastored churches throughout the Third Episcopal District. He continued to serve as a supply pastor as needed after he retired. Pastor Cooper’s father, the late Joseph R. Cooper, served as a lay leader at every level of the church. He held offices at the local, conference, and district level. He served as a delegate to the General Conference numerous times and served on the General Board. The North Ohio Conference Lay Organization Archive Room was named in his honor. A brother, uncles, and several cousins have also served as ordained ministers in the A.M.E. Church.

Join Pastor Cooper’s team

Join Pastor Cooper’s team