Kadeem Massiah

Pastor Kadeem Massiah was recently appointed as a senior pastor at Abundant Life Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The pastor-elect will follow Bishop Lawrence A. Ward this January when he begins his position.

The former Apostolic Pentecostal Church that was founded in 1917 spent months looking for a new senior pastor, with candidates from myriad backgrounds and profiles. The search committee for Abundant Life Church had specific requirements in mind. The “ideal candidate requirements and experience” that were considered were “a proven record of successful church leadership; pastoral experience; a Master of Divinity degree and/or preferably, experience managing complex religious organizations.”

Pastor-elect Massiah is a graduate of Boston College, where he majored in applied psychology and minored in theology and Spanish. He received his Master of Arts in Christian ministries with a concentration in urban ministries from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. The pastor-elect’s wife, Sade Massiah, is also a graduate of Boston College, where the two met.

The pastor-elect also has experience working with innercity youth ministries. He served as the youth minister for the Tabernacle of the Lord Church and Ministries in Baltimore shortly after finishing school.

When the couple moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, they worked as pastors for a while before co-founding their ministry, Compassion, “a ministry equipping leaders and the church to seek wholeness and restoration in a broken society, through trauma-informed principles, counseling, coaching and healing.”

Bishop Lawrence A. Ward has been a part of the church in his role for three decades, beginning in June 1994. While moving on to a new chapter of his life, Ward remains committed to his service and role as a leader in the community, saying, “I am not retiring. My wife and I are transitioning into our next chapter.

God is leading us in. We will still be active in our roles as leaders in our communities while focusing on new assignments.”

Massiah’s vision for the future of Abundant Life Church is rooted in a focus on honoring legacy, embracing destiny and building together.

“Abundant Life Church has selected a senior pastor who will help preserve the history and legacy of ALC, while also leading it into this next generation,” said Ward, “It has been a lengthy and thorough search and selection process where integrity, fairness, faith and inclusivity have been paramount. The church has selected a celebrated candidate who will carry out ALC’s mission as the church’s seventh pastor in 107 years.”

The announcement of Massiah’s appointment to the congregation came on Oct. 20. The Massiahs currently live in Boston with their four children. They will start their new roles as pastor and minister in January 2025.