Bishop Donald Oliver

A Shepherd for Brooklyn

Bishop Donald Oliver's journey in ministry did not begin at a pulpit — it began in the arms of his maternal grandparents, who carried him into the Church of God Which He Hath Purchased With His Own Blood in Orangeburg, South Carolina at just two years of age. What was planted in that season would take root across five decades, two states, and a calling that continues to grow.

For seventeen years, his spiritual formation was shaped under the watchful care of the late Rev. Dr. Mary L. Spann, Pastor of St. Timothy Holy Church in Brooklyn, NY. Under her leadership he learned to pray, to fast, to study and teach the Word, and to serve — the unglamorous, foundational kind of service that builds character before it builds a platform. It was also within that congregation that he met the woman who would become his wife, Elect Lady Lisa Oliver, whom he married in 1987.

In 1988, Bishop Oliver transitioned to Pilgrim Church under the leadership of the late Archbishop Roy E. Brown — who became his father in the faith. For the next twenty-eight years he served in what he describes as a "son with a father" relationship, growing through every level of ministry: musician and percussionist, Deacon, Chairman of the Deacons Board, Minister, Men's Department President, Media Ministry Supervisor, and ultimately General Secretary of Pilgrim Assemblies International. It was through this relationship that he came to understand applied faith, the life of Praise & Worship, and the weight of itinerant pastoral ministry.

The shift into preaching came on New Year's Eve 2003, during a live televised broadcast, when Archbishop Brown called on him to open the service and welcome the viewing audience. Something moved in that moment — a spiritual door opened — and on January 18, 2003, Bishop Oliver preached his first sermon, giving birth to Donald Oliver Ministries. From there his ministry expanded: serving as interim pastor at St. Timothy Holy Church following Rev. Spann's passing (2005–2007), holding revivals in Orangeburg in 2008, serving as Assistant Pastor at First Calvary Baptist Church in Rockville Centre, NY under the late Pastor Curtis Williams, and serving as Interim Pastor at the Church of God in Orangeburg from 2012 until his official installation in 2016.

That same year he launched Edisto Drive Church of God in Orangeburg, SC — installed as Senior Pastor and Apostle of the Church of God Which He Hath Purchased With His Own Blood, Inc. Then in 2022, a phone call came. The officers of Pentecostal Evangelistic Outreach Church reached out with a sacred message: the late Elder Derek P. McDowell had left specific instructions that upon his passing, Bishop Oliver was to be contacted and the ministry entrusted to his care. Bishop Oliver accepted that charge in September 2022. In April 2023, he was officially installed as Pastor and Ministry Leader of PEO Church NYC alongside Elect Lady Lisa Oliver — and Brooklyn became home.

Today, Bishop Oliver shepherds PEO Church NYC from the heart of Bedford-Stuyvesant with the same clarity, conviction, and pastoral compassion that have marked his ministry for decades. His preaching brings Scripture to life in ways that challenge, heal, and ignite faith in everyday people. Whether behind the pulpit on Sunday morning or walking the streets of Bed-Stuy, he carries the heart of a true shepherd — he knows his flock by name.

Beyond the walls of PEO Church NYC, his voice is heard weekly through the Reach One More Soul evangelistic ministry on South Carolina radio stations WSSB 90.3 FM, WSPX 94.5 FM, and WJBS 1440 AM, and through an expanding digital ministry presence. He stands alongside Elect Lady Lisa Oliver as co-shepherd of this congregation — together modeling what Spirit-led, covenant-based pastoral ministry looks like in the 21st century. His singular passion remains unchanged: to see people encounter the living God and walk in the fullness of who He created them to be.