Rev. Dr. Benjamin K. Watts is the senior Pastor of the Shiloh Baptist Church of New London, Connecticut, where he has served for over 35 years. Under his leadership, the church ministry has grown and serves the spiritual, cultural, and physical needs of its members and the community. Reverend Watts was elevated and consecrated to the sacred office of Bishop by the International Bishops Conference in 2008. He is a member of the Churches Covered and Connected in Covenant (CCCC). Bishop Watts is a 1995 graduate of Hartford Seminary where he received the Doctor of Ministry degree with distinction upon submission of his thesis project entitled, “Understanding and Using Afrocentrism in Strengthening and Revitalizing the Mission of the Black Church: Analysis and Models.” Dr. Watts did his undergraduate work at Selma University and Alabama A & M University, receiving a BA in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy.
Bishop Watts’ service to the community at-large is expansive. He is a member of the Shiloh Development Corporation and is a past member of various boards of directors including United Way, Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, and the Hartford Seminary. He served as a member of the Board of Trustees at Connecticut College in New London from 1994 to 1999. He is a Past President of the Connecticut State Missionary Baptist Convention having served from 2004 to 2007.
Bishop Watts is a member of the New London Rotary Club and has been awarded the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow Award for community service. He is a faculty associate at Hartford Seminary in Religion and Community Life, where he is also director of the Black Ministries Program (BMP) and Programa de Ministerios Hispanos (PMH). He is a member of the New London Chapter NAACP and is the Past President of the Southeastern Connecticut Ministerial Alliance. Bishop Watts is also a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and a charter member of both the Delta Iota Sigma, New Haven and Pi Theta Sigma, New London chapters.
Bishop Watts is married to the former Cynthia Reaves. This union has been blessed with two lovely daughters, Brittany Clarvon and Christina Alexis; and a son, Benjamin Keith II.
