Ricky E. Bragg, DMin
Pastor Ricky E. Bragg was born on April 21, 1970, in Rock Island, Illinois, to Ann (Harris) and Wilson E. Bragg. He is married to Gail Renee and together, they have raised two sons, Marcus and Isaiah. Raised in church, he was sensitive, even as a child, to the voice of the Holy Spirit and sensed a calling to the preaching ministry at twelve years old. However, it wasn’t until fifteen years old that he publicly acknowledged his calling and was licensed to preach the same year. As a young minister, Pastor Bragg was exposed to and trained in a variety of pastoral experiences, under the late Rev. Roy H. Cheer. In 1988, he enrolled at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois, where he would complete his Bachelor of Science in philosophy and religion in December of 1992.
Following graduation, Pastor Bragg returned home to serve as assistant to Rev. Cheer, until his retirement in 1994. After serving the church as interim pastor, he moved his membership to the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in East Moline, Illinois, and served under Rev. P. Wonder Harris for five years. In 2000, he was called to return to the Olivet Baptist Church as its pastor, where he stayed until accepting the call of the Eighth Street Baptist Church in Kansas City, Kansas, in 2004. He pastored the Eighth Street Baptist Church until 2011, when he was called to plant the Abundant Life Church, Kansas City, Kansas, where he currently serves as the pastor.
Pastor Bragg has been life-long student. Shortly after moving to Kansas City, he enrolled in the Master of Divinity program at the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri, attaining the degree in 2016. Going further, he continued his studies at Midwestern, and in September 2019, completed the coursework for both the Master of Theology and Doctor of Ministry Degree.
Pastor Bragg has held several leadership positions including: Unit Director, American Baptist College, Quad-Cities Extension; Assistant Director General, Baptist General State Convention of Illinois; Assistant Dean, Wood River Baptist District Association, Congress of Christian Education, and Dean of the Missionary Baptist State Convention of Kansas, where he currently serves as President of the Congress of Christian Education.
