Pastor James Ivy

James M. Ivy was born in Chicago, Illinois and educated in the Chicago public school system for both grade school and high school. Reverend Ivy accepted God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ and was baptized at the Trinity Baptist Church in Chicago in 1978. In September 1990, James Ivy acknowledged the call of God to enter into the preaching ministry, and was licensed to preach the gospel of Christ in May of 1991.

 

James Ivy enrolled as a student of Northern Illinois University to achieve the Baccalaureate of Arts degree in Sociology. While continuing his studies, Reverend James M. Ivy was appointed to the ministerial staff of the Pilgrim Baptist Church of Rockford, Illinois. There he continued in his ministerial training and his collegiate studies.  

 

After completing his studies at Northern Illinois, James Ivy continued his studies to obtain his Master of Divinity degree in Homiletics and Worship at the Morehouse School of Religion of the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta, Georgia while serving as youth pastor of the 2nd Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Atlanta. 

 

In June 1996, Reverend James Ivy was called to pastor the Solid Rock Missionary Baptist Church in Decatur Georgia. As the senior pastor of Solid Rock, James M. Ivy served as the overseer of the total program of Christian Church life and in 2004, James M. Ivy was selected as the Pastor of the New Zion Baptist Church of Beloit, Wisconsin. 

 

In its first year under the leadership of Pastor James M. Ivy, the New Zion Church paid off and ceremonially burned its mortgage thereby freeing the church to financially support more Christ centered ministry; new members were exponentially added to the congregation; and new ministries were added providing the church with over thirty ministries for its members to be active in the work of the church. 

 

Upon his arrival to the New Zion Church and city of Beloit, Pastor Ivy immediately became actively involved in the community by co-operating with various groups and fellowships within the city. Reverend Ivy presently serves as Board Chair of Concerned Black Citizens of Beloit, Inc.; President of the Wisconsin General Baptist State Convention Congress of Christian Education. Pastor Ivy has also served as a Member of the E-quality Committee for the School District of Beloit; Steering Committee member of the University of Wisconsin Medical School Life Course Initiative for Healthy Families; Board member of the Stateline Boys and Girls Club; and as both President and Treasurer of the Beloit Community Ministers Fellowship. 

 

Reverend James M. Ivy is happily married to the former Nashanna R. Stanfield and they both share in the joy of parenting two sons (Zion Alexander and Justin Mason) and one daughter (Madison Renee). And whenever spare time permits, Pastor Ivy enjoys reading, golfing, playing chess, and taking his family to the movies.