Rev. Dr. David B. Lindsey
The Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington announced on May 18, 2020 that its next Executive Director will be Rev. Dr. David B. Lindsey, currently senior pastor of the Little River United Church of Christ in Annandale, Virginia. Rev. Lindsey will assume his position on July 1, 2020, succeeding Rabbi Gerald Serotta, who is retiring after six years at IFC.
“We are so pleased that Rev. Lindsey will be leading the IFC into the next chapter of our history,” said Bill Aiken, IFC President and Buddhist community leader. “After a nationwide search, we found the right person in our back yard.” Rabbi Serotta commented, “I am delighted that I will be leaving IFC in such good hands. David Lindsey has abundant leadership skills and an outstanding record of building interfaith relationships.”
During his years at Little River United Church of Christ, Rev. Lindsey has forged friendships with diverse faith communities across Northern Virginia. He led his congregation through a crisis in 2017, when his church was defaced in reaction to a sign that the church had erected that expressed solidarity with the Muslim community. “This incident gave us the opportunity to bring many different faith communities together to demonstrate our support for one another,” recalled Rev. Lindsey. “IFC has been doing this vital work for decades, and no one does it better. I am humbled and excited that I will have the opportunity to advance IFC’s mission: to create an inclusive community of diverse faiths that is focused on the values that unite us and the distinctions that make each faith unique.” Rev. Lindsey’s letter to friends of IFC can be read here.
Prior to his position at Little River United Church of Christ, Rev. Lindsey was the senior pastor of a congregation in Minnesota, and prior to that he served as a pastor in California. Throughout his career he has been known for his embrace of diversity and his passion for justice. He has extensive experience in social media, communications, development, and the arts. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Claremont School of Theology in California and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Chicago Theological Seminary.
Rev. Lindsey will be only the third Executive Director in IFC’s history. IFC was founded in 1978 and was led for 36 years by its late Founding Director, Rev. Dr. Clark Lobenstine, who was succeeded in 2014 by Rabbi Serotta. IFC’s members include 11 faith communities in the Washington region: Baha’i, Buddhist, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Sikh, and Zoroastrian. IFC works to realize the vision of a society in which people of all religious backgrounds will feel welcomed, respected, and appreciated. IFC is well known for such signature programs as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Multifaith Service, the Day of Unity, the Interfaith Bridge Builders Awards, the Unity Walk, and the Interfaith Concert.
In appreciation of his years of service, IFC will be awarding Rabbi Serotta the Clark Lobenstine Interfaith Bridge Builder Award at a virtual program on Sunday, June 28. Details regarding registration and donations in honor of Rabbi Serotta can be found here. (10 percent of any donation will be contributed to the Capital Area Food Bank to help those facing food insecurity at this very challenging time.)