ALFRED “BAL” TAYLOR, a native of Harlem, NY, is the pastor of Infinity Mennonite Church and the founder of Man Up in Harlem, a growing ministry for men that encompasses weekly prayer walks and wide-ranging community service. He also currently is the New York City Chief of Staff for State Assemblyman Herman D. Farrell, for whom he has worked since 1984.
Rev. Taylor describes his congregation as “a church on the move!” due to its emphasis on outreach, community service, and “growing” disciples of Jesus into the next generation of leaders. Prior to leading Infinity Mennonite in Harlem, Taylor participated in the church planting internship program of Redeemer Presbyterian Church. At that time he assisted in launching Infinity NY Church (located in the Bronx River housing project). Because
Rev. Taylor advocates a Christian discipleship that encompasses teaching, preaching, and serving, he places a strong emphasis on Christian education, Christian leadership, and community involvement. His goal is to revitalize Harlem—and he is convinced that when the Gospel is presented with particular attention to the needs of today’s young people, that transformation will happen.
In mid-2008, after four murders had taken place in the Polo Grounds housing project in just two months, Taylor initiated weekly prayer walks in the Polo Grounds/Rucker Park from 6-7 am every Thursday. A year and a half later, the NYPD commissioner contacted him because the Department’s statistics showed that no homicides had been committed there since the Man Up in Harlem prayer walk began. (This remains the case to date.) Since then, Man Up in Harlem also has instituted weekly study/mentoring sessions in the Polo Grounds community room.
Following the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Taylor joined “One Life Mission,” an organization dedicated to delivering supplies and sharing the Gospel with individuals stricken by major crises around the world. He was a member of the first One Life Mission Disaster Relief Team, which arrived in Haiti less than a week after the earthquake. In March 2010, Taylor made a return trip to Haiti with One Life, and he anticipates remaining involved in rebuilding and church-building efforts there in the years to come.
Rev. Taylor earned the degree of Masters of Divinity, with a concentration in Church Development, from Nyack College/Alliance Theological Seminary. Previously, he graduated from Lehman College of the City University of New York with a BA in Public/Group Communication. Prior to that, he served as an MP in the U.S. Army. As a child and into his teenage years, he spent summers on his uncle’s North Carolina farm, where he learned the importance of hard work and a disciplined approach to life. He attended first, third, and fourth grades in North Carolina; the rest of his elementary and junior/high school education took place in New York City public schools.
Married for more than two decades to wife Gwendolyn, a playwright, and father to daughters Tiffany, Tameka, Ashley, and son Brandon, he seeks to know and follow God’s direction in every aspect of his life.