~ The Rev. Dr. Valerie Pyles ~

Pastor of the First Baptist Church – 72 Waker Avenue, Allentown, NJ, Dr. Pyles is the mother of two darling daughters, Natalie Simone and Ciani Chyanne.

Called at the age of 27 in 1986, Dr. Pyles began her ministry as an Adult Sunday School Teacher at the Rose of Sharon Community Church of Plainfield, NJ. After this, she entered the New Brunswick Theological Seminary, where she obtained a Master of Divinity Degree in May 1999, concentrating in Pastoral Care and Counseling. She completed a Doctor of Ministry Degree at the Drew University Theological School in May 2019, focusing on Church Growth and Congregational Development.

Dr. Pyles was licensed to preach on December 15, 1996, at the Rose of Sharon Community Church of Plainfield, NJ. She is now affiliated with The American Baptist Churches of New Jersey and serves as the Essex Association’s Secretary. Dr. Pyles was Ordained as an American Baptist Minister in February 2019 and is honored to serve as the First Baptist Church of Allentown, NJ’s Pastor, where she began as a Transitional Pastor September 2020.

Dr. Pyles works daily at the Special Treatment Unit to the lost and shut-in as a Licensed Social Worker to male adult sex offenders. She has a heart for men and women who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders, depression, anxiety, and relationship issues due to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Dr. Pyles welcomes every opportunity to serve as an individual/group counselor and workshop/retreat facilitator upon request.

Dr. Pyles is currently involved in cultivating a “new kind of church” that sets itself alongside the traditional house of worship as we know it. This initiative involves listening for and meeting God, where God is already at work within the community. Through her doctoral studies at Drew, Dr. Pyles has developed policies and procedures that she hopes will address the controversial issue of the inclusion of sex offenders and reducing sex offender recidivism. Through her continued studies, Dr. Pyles hopes to reach and work with the sexually violated and those who have sexually offended.