As a teenager at George Westinghouse High School, Rev. Norman was told by counselors that he was not college material — that his best path forward was a factory job. He quietly set that counsel aside and enrolled at Wilberforce University, where his gift for preaching began to emerge and spread throughout Brooklyn. Word of that gift reached a small group of Christian workers establishing a new congregation, and they invited him to serve as their temporary pastor. What began as a one-year arrangement became a lifetime calling. The congregation renewed his appointment and ultimately voted him their permanent pastor.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Bloomfield College in 1959, a Master of Divinity from Howard University in 1964, and a Doctor of Religion from Howard University in 1971. He also completed graduate study in Public Administration at St. John's University and received State Certification as a Secondary School Principal.
Under his leadership, First Baptist Church of Crown Heights was formally established in 1953 with twenty founding members and grew over six decades to more than 2,000. That growth was no accident. Rev. Norman preached with a rare combination of biblical authority, personal warmth, and cultural insight — and he believed the church had a responsibility that extended beyond its walls.
Rev. Norman held a clear and convicting vision for what the church was called to be: not only a Bible-based, Christ-centered institution that draws people to God, but a vehicle for liberating its members from economic, social, and political deprivation. That conviction moved him from the pulpit into the community. In 1987, he founded the Local Development Corporation of Crown Heights, which built or renovated over 800 units of affordable housing — constructing twenty-one buildings, including the David Chavis Apartments, The Albany Residence, St. John's Apartments, and three senior residential facilities — and launched programs ranging from Meals on Wheels and senior citizen centers to job development, computer training, youth education, and housing assistance for displaced families and those living with HIV/AIDS.
His civic influence extended into the political life of Brooklyn as well. He served as Protestant Chaplain for the New York State Division of Parole, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, and Food Program Specialist for the United States Department of Agriculture, among many other roles. His honors included the First Annual Ecumenical Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Christian Times Lifetime Achievement Award, and recognition by Ebony Magazine in June 2002 as a distinguished father celebrating fathers and sons who followed in each other's paths.
Beside him throughout every season of ministry stood his wife and partner, First Lady Ellen Norman — a woman of quiet strength and faithful presence who was woven into the very fabric of this congregation. Together, they were, as those who knew them would say, a dynamic duo — the cornerstones of Crown Heights for over six decades.
The Rev. Dr. Clarence Norman, Sr. went home to be with the Lord on July 8, 2015, after 62 years of faithful service. In November 2016, the City of New York honored his legacy and that of First Lady Ellen Norman by co-naming the intersection of Eastern Parkway and Rogers Avenue — the very corner on which the church stands: "Rev. Dr. Clarence Norman, Sr. and Ellen Norman Way."
"You don't have to apologize for what you don't say."
- Reverend Dr. Clarence Norman Sr.
