Charles Turner was born April 7, 1978 in Nashville, TN the second of three preaching sons born to Pastor James C. Turner, Sr. and Mrs. Donzetta Webb Turner.

He matriculated through the Metropolitan Nashville Public School System graduating from Glencliff High School in 1996. Continuing his education he attended Tennessee State University where he graduated in May 2000 earning a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Economics/Finance Cum Laude and with University Honors. During his Senior year in college he also received the INROADER of the year award for his outstanding accomplishments with INROADS/Nashville, Inc.

Acknowledging his call to the ministry in August 1998 he entered Vanderbilt Divinity School for further training. While at Vanderbilt he served as Co-Convener of the Black Seminarians and was active in the Organization for Black Graduate and Professional Students (OBGAPS). Charles also received honors for his work in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) completed in Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX and also did exemplary work on his Senior Project entitled: Economic Empowerment through the Black Church. In May of 2003 he received a Master of Divinity Degree from Vanderbilt University.

 

At New Hope Missionary Baptist Church under the guidance of his father, Pastor James C. Turner, Sr., he served as Youth Minister, a Bible Study teacher, and elsewhere around the church as needed. From January 2005 – March 2007 he served as the Minister of Evangelism & Discipleship at Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church in Houston, TX under the leadership of Pastor Dennis C. Jones.

In February of 2007 Reverend Turner was extended and accepted the call to pastor Shiloh Baptist Church in Hartford, CT officially beginning his tenure on April 1, 2007. Since his arrival the church has experienced tremendous spiritual, numerical, and financial growth. Pastor Turner has embraced his calling to serve beyond the four walls of the church being involved in denominational work and in the community. He is the Treasurer of the Asher Association of the Connecticut State Missionary Baptist Convention and a member of the Christian Mission Support Department of the American Baptist Churches of Connecticut. Pastor Turner is also a active member of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Greater Hartford. In the community he is a member of the Community Advisory Council of Saint Francis Hospital and the Urban League of Greater Hartford as well as a Board Member of the Clay Hill Community Association to name a few.

Pastor Turner is married to the former Markesha Stanton of Nashville, TN. Lady Turner is graduate of Tennessee State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s in Public Administration. Fall 2008 she will begin studying law at Western New England College School of Law in Springfield, MA.

Some of his future plans beyond building God’s kingdom at Shiloh include earning a doctoral degree and focusing more on ministry through writing. Above all Reverend Turner is a gospel preacher. He loves preaching and is one that is “not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ”.