The Team

The Rev. Dr. Dwayne J. Craig is a native of Jacksonville, Florida.  He is an ordained elder of the Florida Annual Conference. He has pastored Trinity United Methodist Church, McCabe United Methodist Church, Tuskawilla United Methodist Church, Ivanhoe Community United Methodist Church (Chicago, IL), Southlawn United Methodist Church (Chicago, IL), East Naples United Methodist Church (Naples, FL), and he currently serves at First UMC in Stuart, Florida. He served on the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry of the Florida Annual Conference, Board of Trustees of the Florida UMC Children’s Home, Florida Conference Table, East Angola Partnership Task Team, East Central District Leadership Council, Southwest District Operation Team and various other boards of the Florida Annual Conference. He served as a delegate to the 18th World Methodist Conference in Brighton, England (2001), the World Methodist Evangelism Young Leaders Conference at St. Simons Island, Georgia (2004), and the 20th World Methodist Conference in Durban, South Africa (2011). Further, his service has reached beyond the walls of the church and into the communities to which he was appointed. He was Co-founder of the Nehemiah Movement in St. Petersburg, Florida, Director of Community Partnerships with the Community Action Coalition, Inc., a member of the Board of Directors of AIDS Service Association of Pinellas, and a Research Consultant with Manpower Development Corporation, Inc., Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Additionally, Dr. Craig is a member of the American Academy of Religion.

He graduated from Bethune-Cookman College magna cum laude, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and Philosophy. He holds both a Master of Divinity (MDiv) and Master of Theology (ThM) degree from The Divinity School at Duke University, a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary at Northwestern University, completed all PhD course work and language requirements at Garrett in Systematic Theology and Ethics before having to withdraw due to personal and family health matters during the pandemic, and a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree from Emory University at Candler School of Theology. At present, Reverend Craig is pursuing a Doctor of Theology (ThD) degree in the area of historical theology at United Theological Seminary. Dr. Craig firmly believes that theological reflections are to be linked to the concrete realities of our everyday living and circumstances, and that the church is to choreograph a love supreme as she joyfully and subversively engages in acts of crossing the borders of social and ecclesial balkanization.

Pastor Dwayne enjoys reading, watching movies, discussing politics, playing chess, ping pong, and spending time with his beautiful daughters and lovely wife. He is passionate about the mission of the Church, and his vision for the 21st century Church in the United States is that she will live into becoming a truly polychromatic community grounded in the Deep Tomorrow (God), following the Normative Gaze (Jesus Christ), and empowered by the Loving Presence (Holy Spirit). His motto is “credo ut intelligam” (Lat., I believe that I may understand).