A first-generation preacher, Darius Kenneth Butler, Sr. serves as the Lead Pastor of John Wesley United Methodist Church in Abingdon, Maryland. His prior ministerial experience includes serving as the Youth and Young Adult Pastor at the Asbury Town Neck United Methodist Church in Severna Park, Maryland under the pastoral leadership of The Reverend Doctor Ronald Lee Ward, Sr., and the Pilgrim African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., under the pastoral leadership of The Reverend Doctor Wendell Oliver Ebenezer Christopher, Sr. 

Pastor Butler answered his call to ordained ministry at Asbury United Methodist Church in Brandywine, Maryland under the spiritual guidance of the late Reverend Doctor Willie Otto Kent. His call was then affirmed by the Holy Spirit through the guidance and counsel of the Reverend Doctor Priscilla Irene Boswell.

Pastor Butler has served on several boards and agencies within the United Methodist Church including the Baltimore Washington Conference Young Adult Council, and as the Young Adult Coordinator for the Baltimore Suburban District. Pastor Butler’s most notable accomplishment was being elected as a lay delegate to the 2012 General and Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church. Pastor Butler was the only young adult elected to the delegation.

Pastor Butler completed his undergraduate studies at the Anne Arundel Community and Lancaster Bible Colleges, having earned an Associate of Arts degree in Transfer Studies with a concentration in Music and a Bachelor of Science degree in Bible with a concentration in Christian Life and Ministry, respectively. Furthermore, Pastor Butler attended and completed the License to Preach School for Local Pastors of the Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church on May 20, 2017. He is currently enrolled in the Basic Course of Study for Licensed Local Pastors at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Following in the tradition of other young biblical prophets, Pastor Butler believes he is a servant after God’s own heart. Doing everything he can to please the Lord, his favorite scripture comes from Isaiah 6:8, which reads, “Also, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” said I, “Here am I; send me.””

Pastor Butler is married to the former Jenifer Renée Brockington and together, they are the proud parents of Jayden Edward Larry Foote, Mariah Danée Karynn Butler, Giovanni Antonio West and Darius Kenneth Butler, Jr. Pastor Butler believes that through Christ, all things are possible no matter what the circumstance, situation, or obstacle may be.
A first-generation preacher, Darius Kenneth Butler, Sr. serves as the Lead Pastor of John Wesley United Methodist Church in Abingdon, Maryland. His prior ministerial experience includes serving as the Youth and Young Adult Pastor at the Asbury Town Neck United Methodist Church in Severna Park, Maryland under the pastoral leadership of The Reverend Doctor Ronald Lee Ward, Sr., and the Pilgrim African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., under the pastoral leadership of The Reverend Doctor Wendell Oliver Ebenezer Christopher, Sr.