Rev. Dr. Zollie D. Bagby Sr. retires after decades of ministry

By Marnita Coleman
Special to the AFRO
mcoleman@afro.com

At 85, the Dr. Zollie David Bagby Sr.is officially stepping down from the pulpit. The pastor emeritus of The Village Baptist Church in Baltimore, will be feted at his retirement celebration on July 26 beginning at 12 p.m. at Doubletree by Hilton Baltimore, Pikesville–North.

Rev. Bagby announced his future retirement back in May 2023, after serving for 35 years as pastor. He said then, “They respect that I’m 83 years old I don’t want the church to go backwards.” 

Rev. Bagby feels a younger pastor would have a great impact on this generation. So he’s “getting out of the way” and “going to do a lot of fishing” at his favorite hot spot in Kent Narrows, Md. The “recreational angler” expects to catch croaker, trout and spot fish with his faithful Ugly Stik fishing rods.

The Rev. Dr. Minnie R. Washington, pastor of St. Timothy’s Christian Baptist Church of Baltimore, offered Bagby her regards, praying that “his life will be long and fruitful” as he enjoys retirement.

Rev. Bagby graduated from the Virginia Theological Seminary and College in Lynchburg, Va., with a bachelor’s degree in religion and a master’s of divinity degree in theology. The Maryland Theological Seminary of Baltimore conferred upon him a doctor of divinity degree in December 1996, and Eastern Theological Seminary of Lynchburg, Va., awarded him a doctor of humane letters degree in October 2013.

During his distinguished career, Rev. Bagby served and held offices in Christian, community, and fraternal organizations. He also authored a book titled, “Man’s Misconceptions of Biblical Promises,” that addresses specific conditions of promises, repentance and faith.

Rev. Bagby affectionately recalled serving for 13 years as a deacon before he was elevated to associate minister under the pastorate of the late Rev. Preston E. Johnson at Friendship Baptist Church, when it was located in Baltimore’s Edmondson Village.

“We did a lot of ministry in that community,” Rev. Bagby recalled. “We visited the sick, fed the hungry and buried their families.” He lived in the neighborhood and the people knew him well because of his work.

At that time, Rev. Bagby was sensing the Lord’s call to step out into his own ministry. But he stayed with Friendship Baptist Church until it relocated to Loch Raven Boulevard in East Baltimore, under the leadership of the late Rev. Dr. William McCoy Jr.

It was a “drastic” move, Rev. Bagby said, and that’s why Pastor McCoy asked him to delay his startup until after Friendship was settled in its new home.

So, on Nov. 6, 1988, Bagby launched his church with the support of 40 charter members. Prior to establishing its permanent home, the congregation alternated between Allendale Senior Citizens Building on West Franklin Street and Mary E. Rodman Recreation Center on West Mulberry Street for six-and-a-half years. 

Finally, they purchased land and built a church at 100 South Hilton St., and in November 1994 they moved in. The fellowship grew with 80 percent to 90 percent of the members coming from the immediate vicinity. “I appealed to the family” and that’s what church is made of now, Bagby said.

 “The Village Baptist Church became a living body of baptized believers in Jesus Christ whose mission was to glorify God and evangelize the world through worship, discipleship, fellowship, ministry and outreach,” he proudly declared.

As the people’s hero, Rev. Bagby has been recognized for “devoted and invaluable services,” as well as receiving numerous awards, including the Congressional Achievement Award presented by the late Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, a citation from the Maryland Governor’s Office for successful civic and humanitarian leadership, and the City of Baltimore’s proclamation lauding him as an influential member of the community.

Rev. Washington agreed that Bagby is a “very humble man,” a “gentle giant,” “easy to love,” and “well respected.” 

He was her late husband, the Rev. Dr. Carl L. Washington Sr.’s “good friend,” she said, and she will “always cherish the relationship” they had.

For 52 years, Bagby was married to the late Carolyn Williams-Bagby, co-laborer in ministry, teacher, deaconess and coordinator of the Culinary Ministry. They have two adult children, Zollie David Bagby Jr., and Rhonda Lee Bagby-Alston. In 2019, six years after the death of his first wife, Rev. Bagby remarried Delores Wilson-Bagby, who died suddenly in 2020.

Born in Oxford, N.C., Rev. Bagby was raised from age 3 by his mother, Sarah Reed Gregory, and stepfather, Golden Gregory, after his father died. Bagby was said to have a “call on his life” as a young boy. His mother named him Zollie, which has Hebrew roots and is a variant of Solomon, meaning “man of peace.”

And that’s who he is, “a humble spirit and servant of God,” said daughter Rhonda Lee Bagby-Alston. “Always sharing the Word, teaching us to pray and live godly lives.”