A Legacy Continued: Reverend Dr. David W. Green, Sr. Elevated to Presiding Elder of the St. Petersburg District

By Johnoy Davis, TCR Intern

The journey of ministry and leadership has entered a new chapter for the Reverend Dr. David W. Green Sr., who has been appointed Presiding Elder of the St. Petersburg District of the West Coast Annual Conference in the Eleventh Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. His elevation continues a strong legacy of leadership emerging from Saint Stephen AME Church in Jacksonville. This congregation has already given the connection two Bishops: the late Right Reverend Robert Vaughn Webster and the Right Reverend Michael L. Mitchell, Presiding Prelate of the 6^th Episcopal District.

Dr. Green’s elevation continues a remarkable lineage of faith and leadership. “I am a third-generation preacher,” he shared. “My father was a Presiding Elder, and we grew up watching him serve. My brothers and I were blessed to have him as our first mentor.” The Green family’s spiritual heritage runs deep, with a father who led with grace, brothers who serve as Bishop, General Officer, and Presiding Elder, and now a son and nephews who continue the family’s ministerial tradition.

Over three decades of pastoral service have prepared Dr. Green for this new assignment. His ministry has touched communities across Florida, from Gainesville and Bravington to Orlando and Jacksonville, each experience shaping his vision for transformational leadership. In Gainesville, he guided Greater Bethel AME through a season of growth and new construction, particularly ministering to young adults in a college town. Earlier in Bravington, he launched an economic development initiative that created alternative financial support for the church by selling breakfast to employees of the then Tropicana Products, Inc., long before “entrepreneurial ministry” became a buzzword.

Reflecting on his journey, Dr. Green emphasized that each appointment has been a classroom of divine preparation. “Every church I have served has taught me something vital about God’s people and God’s purpose,” he said. “Those lessons will guide how I serve this District with empathy, innovation, and faith.”

As he steps into district-wide leadership, Presiding Elder Green’s first-year goals are clear: to help congregations reconnect after the pandemic and to develop a renewed vision that fits their unique contexts. His approach is deeply pastoral yet strategic, rooted in the conviction that revitalization begins with reflection and prayerful planning.

Integral to his ministry is the unwavering support of his family. His wife, Consultant Kimberly C. Green, whose professional expertise as Director of Compliance at the University of Florida brings administrative insight and balance, and his son, the Reverend David W. Green Jr., have been pillars beside him through every season of service. Their family’s journey, especially their testimony of faith through their son’s miraculous survival as a one-pound, eight-ounce premature baby, remains a living testament to God’s sustaining power. “My wife and son are examples of what family is all about,” he affirmed. “They have been my constant reminder that there is no failure in God.”

Looking ahead, Dr. Green’s spirit is filled with expectancy. “I have seen the hand of God move too many times to doubt Him now,” he said with conviction. “This next chapter is not about me; it is about what God is yet to do through His people.”

As the St. Petersburg District welcomes its new Presiding Elder, the AME connection joins in celebration and prayer, trusting that through Dr. Green’s faithful leadership, God will continue to write a new chapter of growth, unity, and revival in the life of the church.