our pastor

Prior to being called to Mount Sion as Pastor, Rev. Craig spent twenty-nine years in International Banking where he retired from Deutsche Bank as the Global Product Management Head of Deposits Services. In this capacity Rev. Craig had teams reporting directly or indirectly to him from Frankfurt Germany, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and Kenya.

Rev. Craig traveled extensively and worked closely with major banks and Regulatory Agencies in cities in Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, Latin America, Israel, and the Middle East. He conducted seminars for Foreign Banks and Government Agencies on ways banks could protect themselves from being victimized by US Dollar Check Fraud, which cost banks in the USA and other countries at least $16 Billion dollars in annual write-offs. On several of the trips he was accompanied by former FBI Agent John Foos, who also took part in a number of presentations made by Rev. Craig. Rev. Craig also worked closely with the FBI’s Forensic Team in Silver Spring Maryland along with the Foster and Freeman Forensic Technology team of London Bank Fraud issues related to Deposit Service Transactions. Rev. Craig retired from Deutsche Bank at year end 2001.

Rev. Dan Craig was called to Pastor the Mount Sion Baptist Church in May 2005. At the time of his calling the church building was closed due to a Vacate Order imposed by the City of New York due to the dangerous condition of the building. Under Rev. Craig the church held service in the Chapel of Barrett Funeral Home.

During his first year as Pastor he led Mount Sion through an extensive building renovation which was completed and the church reopened in June, 2006.

His love for God and God’s People has given him the desire to pastor a church that serves God first, and then to be of service to members and the community. His often spoken words, “It is good to be in the house of the Lord,” is a sentiment that he works diligently to spread beyond the church walls and into the hearts of the community.

Community Outreach Programs, Men’s Ministries, Scholarship Programs, Youth Programs, and Elderly Programs have been instituted as a part of the God-given vision he has for The Mount Sion Baptist Church.

In past years, each Tuesday and Wednesday, the church served as a field office for the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. It was here that community members could come for free counseling and assistance provided by members of the District Attorney’s Staff until the program was discontinued in 2014.

Rev. Craig is an active member of the 73rd Precinct Clergy Council where he serves on the Executive Board. He is also actively involved in the NYPD’s Gun Buy-Back program that seeks to dramatically reduce gun violence in our community by the NYPD and/or the

Brooklyn District Attorney’s offices purchasing guns, with no questions asked, in an effort to take guns off the street.

Rev. Craig served on the Executive Board of the Brooklyn Clergy-NYPD Task Force that worked directly with the Police Commissioner’s Office to improve the quality of life within Brooklyn and also foster better relationships between the community and the NYPD.

The Mount Sion Baptist Church served as a site for Project Safe Surrender, a program in which members of the clergy, NYPD, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office; the Black Lawyers Association, the Legal Aid Society, and the Unified Courts Systems of New York would actually hold court in the church where judges decided certain cases of people within the five boroughs of New York. Members of the community can come to court and have certain arrests warrants dismissed and also have certain non-felony summonses discharged at no cost to the individual. Mount Sion also served as the host site for the NYPD’s Grandmother’s Love Over Violence (LOV) Program which assisted grandmothers who were raising grandchildren.

The Mount Sion Baptist Church has “Adopted” The Dean Street Family Resident Shelter located at 2155 Dean Street in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Mount Sion has provided new coats for all of the children in the shelter and socks for all residents. Mount Sion also provides toys at Christmas for the shelter’s youth.

During 2018 and 2019, Mount Sion served as the Turkey Distribution Site for the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). Due to the Covid Virus no distributions were made in 2020.

Rev. Craig was elected to the Board of Directors of the Pinelawn Memorial Park Cemetery in March of 2023. Pinelawn was recently named by the National Funeral Home Association as the Most Beautiful Cemetery in the state of New York.

Working alongside Rev. Craig in these efforts is his wife of 56 years, Rev. Edna B. Craig who oversees a number of church and community focused programs. The Craig’s have one daughter and one son, three grandsons and three granddaughters.

Rev. Craig’s life has been greatly influenced by three of the Late Great Giants of The Faith; Rev. Craig’s Pastor and Mentor, Rev. John Q. Adams and Bishop A. D. Lyon, and Rev. Clarence Norman Sr.