Dr. H. Beecher Hicks, Jr. Senior Servant Emeritus Kristin Hicks September 9, 2015

Pastor: 1977 – 2014

Reverend Dr. H. Beecher Hicks, Jr., came to Metropolitan in 1977 with his wife, Elizabeth, and two sons, H. Beecher III and Ivan Douglas. In 1981, the family was blessed with the arrival of a daughter, Kristin, the first child to be born to an actively serving Metropolitan pastor.
With great energy Dr. Hicks led the congregation in the construction of a new worship facility in 1985. Under his leadership, Metropolitan’s membership grew to well over 6,000, with more than 40 ministries, more than 100 full-time and part-time employees, and a consolidated annual operating budget, including four subsidiary corporations, exceeding $10 million.

Dr. Hicks retired from the Metropolitan pulpit after 37 years of faithful service in 2014. He continues to preach around the globe and mentor young seminarians as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. A noted author, among his published works is the best-selling book Preaching Through a Storm. Dr. Hicks now serves as Pastor Emeritus of Metropolitan Baptist Church.

Did You Know That? 

  • Dr. Hicks  served as the fifth senior minister in  Metropolitan’s history. During his 37-year pastorate, Metropolitan  developed into one of the world’s foremost Christian congregations, distinguished by its fervent worship and dynamic preaching.
  • Dr. Hicks, a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is the son of the late Reverend Dr. H. Beecher Hicks, Sr., and the late Mrs. Eleanor Frazier Hicks.  He is the third generation preacher of the Hicks legacy.  His grandfather and father were ministers.  His son, Rev. Dr. Ivan Douglas Hicks, is also a Pastor.
  • He is married to the former Elizabeth Harrison of Selma, Alabama. They are the parents of H. Beecher III, the Reverend Ivan Douglas, and Kristin Elizabeth Hicks. Dr. and Mrs. Hicks are the proud grandparents of twin girls, Austynn and Ashley, and grandsons H. Beecher IV, and Harrison Patton Hicks.
  • Dr. Hicks is an honors graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. A recipient of the Rockefeller Protestant Fellowship, Dr. Hicks graduated from Colgate Rochester Divinity School in May 1967. Selected as one of the original Martin Luther King Fellows in 1972, he earned the Doctor of Ministry in Theology degree in 1975. His dissertation, Images of the Black Preacher: The Man Nobody Knows, was published by Judson Press in 1977. In 1994 Dr. Hicks received the coveted Merrill Fellowship for post-graduate study at Harvard’s Divinity School. In 1999, Dr. Hicks earned the Master of Business Administration from George Washington University.
  • Dr. Hicks was licensed and ordained by Mount Olivet Baptist Church of Columbus, Ohio, and served successfully as Senior Minister of Second Baptist Church, Mumford, New York; Mt. Ararat Baptist Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Christ in Houston, Texas.
  • Known for his outstanding preaching of the Gospel, in November 1993, Ebony magazine honored Dr. Hicks with the designation of one of America’s “Fifteen Greatest African American Preachers.”
  • Dr. Hicks is also a prolific writer and is widely published in religious publications. He has authored several books; the most recent of which are On Jordan’s Stormy Banks [2004], Prophetic Business [2002], My Soul’s Been Anchored [1998], and Preaching Through A Storm [1987, 12th printing].
  • The Rev. Jesse Jackson was the preacher of the hour at the installation service for Dr. H. Beecher Hicks, Jr., fifth Pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church.
  • Dr. Hicks established the Annual State of the Church Address in which he reports on the church’s financial stability, spiritual growth, triumphs and challenges.  The address announces changes in personnel and provides new or enhanced pastoral focus on ministry.
  • Sunday, December 1, 1985, marked the inauguration of the “new” (the present) Metropolitan Baptist Church Sanctuary, the Hicks Center for Church Administration, and the renovation of the E.C. Smith Monument Hall.
  • The Hicks years were exemplified by powerful preaching, an aggressive and expansive program of biblical teaching and discipleship development, an infrastructure of over 60 ministries, as well as one of the finest music ministries in America today. Metropolitan’s diversity of programs includes ministries for children and youth, men, women, singles, numerous support groups, as well as ministries designed for Seasoned Senior Saints.
  • The church’s various commercial and social service ventures have placed Metropolitan among the world’s most productive religious and civic institutions. As the church has expanded, it has created avenues for social betterment beyond the traditional work of the faith community. Metropolitan has one of the largest church-based Federal Credit Unions in the District of Columbia.
  • Over his 37-year tenure, Dr. Hicks  established an undisputed reputation for accomplished and innovative initiatives that further cultivate the partnership between the church and community.  Among these exemplary efforts are: the Metropolitan/Delta Adult Literacy Council, a project that provides adult literacy enrichment for community residents; the Metropolitan Day School, with an Afro-centric Christian learning experience, for students at levels pre-K through 8; The Garment’s Hem, an expansive new non-profit group dedicated to addressing psychological and emotional health via Christ-centered counseling and therapy; and the Metropolitan Community Development Corporation, engaging in community and economic development concerns in Washington, D.C., and the State of Maryland. To facilitate the success of these ministry efforts, Dr. Hicks has partnered with an intriguing mosaic of corporate directors, corporate operations executives, commercial bankers, educators, and social service providers to establish a leadership model for community-based faith organizations.
  • Dr. Hicks is President of H. Beecher Hicks Ministries, a management consulting firm specializing in church organization, church leadership and pastoral skills development https://www.hbeecherhicksministries.com/