Rev. Dr. David C. Fisher of Plymouth Church announces retirement

May 1, 2013 From Plymouth Church

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In a message mailed to the Plymouth Church congregation last week and delivered from the pulpit on April 28, the Rev. Dr. David C. Fisher has announced his retirement. His noteworthy tenure at Plymouth, the historic Congregational Church in Brooklyn Heights, began in August of 2004, with his formal installation as Plymouth’s tenth Settled Minister on January 10, 2005. Rev. Fisher is scheduled to depart from Plymouth on September 30, 2013.

The nine years of Rev. Fisher’s ministry at Plymouth Church have been a time of growth and maturation—in membership, programs and mission. According to Sandra Deming, President of the Plymouth Council, “Rev. Fisher’s unique gifts of teaching and preaching have opened the eyes, hearts and hands of many, and led this congregation on a journey of spiritual growth. Thanks to David, we are a more engaged and active church today, fulfilling our mission to serve God in this world.”

In a related announcement, Plymouth Council, the church’s leadership committee, has initiated plans for the transition, naming Rev. Al Bunis as interim Senior Minister, effective October 1. Rev. Bunis, a member of Plymouth with his family since 1999, joined the ministerial staff in 2010. “It has been an honor to work so closely with David these past few years,” Rev. Bunis notes. “Under his leadership, Plymouth has thrived in so many ways, and set such a strong foundation for the future.”

The Rev. Dr. David C. Fisher has been a parish pastor for forty-three years. After graduating from seminary, he learned the pastoral craft in a decade of ministry in rural America. For two decades, he served as Senior Minister at two of the largest and most prestigious Congregational churches in America: Park Street Church in Boston, MA, and Colonial Church in Edina, MN.   A graduate of Bryan College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Rev. Fisher earned his Ph.D. in New Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has also done additional graduate studies at Hebrew Union College and Indiana University. His academic specialty is the Jewish background of early Christianity. He has served as Instructor of New Testament at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and as Adjunct Professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.   

Rev. Fisher’s many years in pastoral ministry have honed a deep interest in the theology and practice of the Christian ministry. He is a frequent speaker at clergy and denominational gatherings and has written numerous articles and a book, The Twenty-First Century Pastor: A Vision Based on the Apostle Paul (Zondervan, 1996).   He also has a lifelong interest in preaching and the craft of preaching. In 2001, he served as a Fellow of the College of Preachers at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., where he did research and writing on the New Homiletic.

The son of a pastor, Rev. Fisher and his wife, Gloria, have three grown children and six grandchildren.

Plymouth Church is a vibrant community of faith in historic Brooklyn Heights. For 165 years, the church has been a vital presence in New York City, and in 1961, the church sanctuary was designated a National Historic Landmark. Aware of its unique history and influence, Plymouth continues to serve the community with regular worship services, the Plymouth Church School (preschool) and summer camp, choral music for adults and children, Christian spiritual development classes for all ages, and charitable programs for those in need. Plymouth is a member of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches.

For further information, please contact Ann Geismar, Director of Communications at Plymouth Church (75 Hicks Street, Brooklyn), 718-624-4743 x.14, [email protected]