Rev. David Black is the Senior Pastor of The First Presbyterian Church of Chicago. He finds his purpose in ministry at the edge of church, where people are discovering faith and where the church is engaging with its community. In his present ministry, Pastor Black is leading the revitalization of Chicago’s first church, focusing on adaptive reuse of the historic cathedral as a hub for the South Side’s artist and activist communities. The congregation hosts nine artists-in-residence, a dance company (773 Dance Project), an avant-garde jazz collective (AACM), an art studio for adults with disabilities (Arts of Life), a chef-in-residence (Dozzy’s Grill), and multiple mutual aid programs, including a mutual aid legal clinic. 

Pastor Black is spiritually rooted in Quakerism, and grew up in a diverse array of Protestant and Evangelical churches around the world. He graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2018 with a Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Christian Education and Formation with a focus on Ministry with Young People, and a Certificate in Black Church Studies.

In 2025, Pastor Black testified at two congressional hearings about the excessive violence of ICE agents and the meaning of the Gospel at the end of the world. His ministry in the parish and the public square have been covered on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, Sojourner’s, The Katie Phang Show, Religion News Service, The Guardian, WBEZ, WGN-TV, CBC, as well as multiple podcasts, international media, and local Chicago press. His brief tenure as an amateur sleuth was covered in the Hyde Park Herald’s report, Pastor Black Peels Back The Mystery of the Bananas (2024).

He lives in Woodlawn with his dog Bella (the church’s parish pup), and several plants which are doing surprisingly well.