Bishop Lance L. Davis was born on the westside of Chicago and acknowledge his call to ministry at the age of nine. Throughout his life, Davis has worked tirelessly to make life better for African American children and families. While still in high school he co-managed his father’s organization (seven Popeyes Chicken restaurants in downtown Chicago and 2 McDonalds restaurants). When Davis opened his own restaurants (two Docks Seafoods) in the 1980’s, he still insisted on hiring young people from the marginalized neighborhoods that surrounded downtown Chicago, with whom he could instill solid training and work-ethics disciplines.
While serving the Church, Pastor Davis operated several successful businesses. He established a water borehole drilling company in Ghana (Transatlantic Water Development Corporation) that has provided clean potable water for thousands of Ghanaian villagers. In 2002, he established XGD Corporation; a construction company contracted by the Chicago Housing Authority to rehab hundreds of low-income housing units. XGD was also contracted to build the Primary Feeder Cable Building for Chicago State University under the oversight of the Capital Development Board of the State of Illinois.
In order to provide safe and caring mental health services to the South Suburbs, Davis and his wife, Kara, established the Zion Behavioral Health organization in 2010. In 2015, he established Kinsmen Development and secured one million dollars in real estate financing to purchase and rehab nearly 20 abandoned and dilapidated homes in Dolton, Illinois. Pastor Davis founded Sankofa Ventures in 2004. The organization has a touring subsidiary (Sankofa U.S.) that facilitates and organizes travel to Ghana West Africa for African Americans who are interested in “Return” journeys. To date, nearly one thousand African Americans have visited the Motherland with Pastor Davis and the Sankofa US team.
In addition to creating for-profit businesses, Davis also established several non-profit agencies. The Voices of Morality organization was created to speak against police brutality and unfair lending practices of banks and other merchants. This organization successfully boycotted a major car manufacturer for its discriminatory practices in 2003.
In 1996, Davis founded B.O.O.C., Inc. (Building Our Own Community). This organization was instrumental in feeding thousands of south suburban residents and opened the south suburbs’ first Robotics Training program for youth. Today, the BOOC organization is contracted with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to provide family advocacy and general counseling services for children and adults under DCFS care.
Again in 2003, Davis and his family purchased the former Dolton Expo (an 88,000 sq. ft. multi-use facility located in Dolton’s downtown district). In this location, he not only housed the BOOC organization, the New Zion Christian Fellowship Church, the Joseph Storehouse Food Pantry and the “Up-Scale Rummage Sale” resale shop. Bishop Davis also hosted many Christian Hip-Hop concerts and events that drew thousands of peace-loving south suburban youth.
Davis has been honored for his life’s work by Secretary of State Jesse White, the Chicago Defender (Pastor’s Salute Award), the Human Resource Development Institute, the Village of Harvey, IL (which renamed Cooper Ave., Bishop Lance Davis St.). He is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and a Board Member of the African Diaspora Sixth Region-Illinois (authorized by the African Union in 2019). Davis also serves as the President of the African American Ministers Association of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
After completing ITC Seminary and pastoring in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church for 12 years, Bishop Davis founded the New Zion Covenant Church in Dolton, Illinois in 2003. The church was brought into the Evangelical Covenant Church in 2010. In 2018 he was elected as the first African American Executive Minister of Ordered Ministry of the ECC. In this role, Davis was responsible for the supervision, care, discipline and development of nearly 2,500 ECC pastors, 207 military, hospital and prison chaplains and 157 missionaries serving on 5 continents.
After ending his time with the ECC in mid-2022, Pastor Davis returned to his passions: Serving his community as BOOC’s President & CEO and facilitating trips to Ghana West Africa. Davis’s trips to Ghana have included African American legislators from the State of Illinois as well as young African American men from Chicago’s Westside. Lance Davis is married to his high school sweetheart, Dr. Kara E. Davis (MD - General Internal Medicine in South Holland and Board Member of School District 205). Together they have four wonderful adult children: Grace, Andrew, Lance Nathaniel and Natalie Kara.
While serving the Church, Pastor Davis operated several successful businesses. He established a water borehole drilling company in Ghana (Transatlantic Water Development Corporation) that has provided clean potable water for thousands of Ghanaian villagers. In 2002, he established XGD Corporation; a construction company contracted by the Chicago Housing Authority to rehab hundreds of low-income housing units. XGD was also contracted to build the Primary Feeder Cable Building for Chicago State University under the oversight of the Capital Development Board of the State of Illinois.
In order to provide safe and caring mental health services to the South Suburbs, Davis and his wife, Kara, established the Zion Behavioral Health organization in 2010. In 2015, he established Kinsmen Development and secured one million dollars in real estate financing to purchase and rehab nearly 20 abandoned and dilapidated homes in Dolton, Illinois. Pastor Davis founded Sankofa Ventures in 2004. The organization has a touring subsidiary (Sankofa U.S.) that facilitates and organizes travel to Ghana West Africa for African Americans who are interested in “Return” journeys. To date, nearly one thousand African Americans have visited the Motherland with Pastor Davis and the Sankofa US team.
In addition to creating for-profit businesses, Davis also established several non-profit agencies. The Voices of Morality organization was created to speak against police brutality and unfair lending practices of banks and other merchants. This organization successfully boycotted a major car manufacturer for its discriminatory practices in 2003.
In 1996, Davis founded B.O.O.C., Inc. (Building Our Own Community). This organization was instrumental in feeding thousands of south suburban residents and opened the south suburbs’ first Robotics Training program for youth. Today, the BOOC organization is contracted with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to provide family advocacy and general counseling services for children and adults under DCFS care.
Again in 2003, Davis and his family purchased the former Dolton Expo (an 88,000 sq. ft. multi-use facility located in Dolton’s downtown district). In this location, he not only housed the BOOC organization, the New Zion Christian Fellowship Church, the Joseph Storehouse Food Pantry and the “Up-Scale Rummage Sale” resale shop. Bishop Davis also hosted many Christian Hip-Hop concerts and events that drew thousands of peace-loving south suburban youth.
Davis has been honored for his life’s work by Secretary of State Jesse White, the Chicago Defender (Pastor’s Salute Award), the Human Resource Development Institute, the Village of Harvey, IL (which renamed Cooper Ave., Bishop Lance Davis St.). He is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and a Board Member of the African Diaspora Sixth Region-Illinois (authorized by the African Union in 2019). Davis also serves as the President of the African American Ministers Association of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
After completing ITC Seminary and pastoring in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church for 12 years, Bishop Davis founded the New Zion Covenant Church in Dolton, Illinois in 2003. The church was brought into the Evangelical Covenant Church in 2010. In 2018 he was elected as the first African American Executive Minister of Ordered Ministry of the ECC. In this role, Davis was responsible for the supervision, care, discipline and development of nearly 2,500 ECC pastors, 207 military, hospital and prison chaplains and 157 missionaries serving on 5 continents.
After ending his time with the ECC in mid-2022, Pastor Davis returned to his passions: Serving his community as BOOC’s President & CEO and facilitating trips to Ghana West Africa. Davis’s trips to Ghana have included African American legislators from the State of Illinois as well as young African American men from Chicago’s Westside. Lance Davis is married to his high school sweetheart, Dr. Kara E. Davis (MD - General Internal Medicine in South Holland and Board Member of School District 205). Together they have four wonderful adult children: Grace, Andrew, Lance Nathaniel and Natalie Kara.