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Dr. Cornelius Tilton
Rev. Cornelius Tilton, son of the late Harvey Tilton, Sr. and the late Myrtle Tilton, answered the call to the gospel ministry in February of 1980 and was ordained by the Universal Missionary Baptist Association in 1982 at the First Holly Grove Baptist Church under the leadership of the late Rev. F. F. Franklin. After serving as associate pastor at the St. John Baptist Church for six years, he was called to the Irish Channel Christian Fellowship in May of 1988 on an interim basis and was unanimously elected Pastor in February of 1989.
Rev. Tilton, a native of New Orleans, is a graduate of Dillard University in Business Administration and French and Christian Bible College of Louisiana in Theology. He is married to the former Carolyn LeBrane. They have 4 adult children and eight grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Previously, a bi-vocational pastor, he worked for many years as a computer, business and tax consultant. He was Manager for Community Affairs at Tulane University Hospital for four years, where as an extension of his ministry, he encouraged people to healthy choices for living. He was a real estate salesman and broker with Harvey Tilton Realty and Tilton Realty Group for over 23 years. He founded Tilton Travel and Cruises in 2007. He tells people that he can help them get from here to Heaven and all parts in between.
Under his leadership, the Irish Channel Christian Fellowship the outreach involvement of the church and its members has been expanded to several African, and Central American countries and Haiti.
In addition to his busy pastorate, “P.T.”, as he is lovingly called by his youth and many members, has also served his community in various capacities: Past President of the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans Pastors Conference, Past President of Dillard University Alumni Association-New Orleans Chapter, Past President, Treasurer, and Interim Director of the New Orleans Mission, former General Director and Worship Leader for the Christian Minister's’ Union City Wide Revival, a former trustee of New Orleans General Hospital, former Volunteer Administrator and In-Prison Seminar Instructor for Prison Fellowship Ministries, USA, and past President of the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. He is treasurer and past Chairman of the Greater New Orleans Federation of Churches. Pastor Tilton has served on the Irish Channel Interim Zoning District Demolition and Construction Review Committee and was appointed by Mayor Nagin in December of 2006 to the city’s Ethics Review Board where he was elected Vice Chair, which in June 2007 hired New Orleans’ first Inspector General and later served as its Chair. He is a former member of Board of Trustees and Administrative Committee Chairman of the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans, a trustee of the Louisiana Baptist Foundation, and a strategy team leader of the Greater New Orleans Pastors’ Coalition. Dr. Tilton served on the board of Audubon Charter School for 8 years, including 4 years as Chair. He is General President and an instructor in Leadership Development at Christian Bible College of Louisiana of Louisiana. He is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and National Baptist Convention of America.
He has been Pastor-Teacher of the Irish Channel Christian Fellowship for 29 years and served on staff at Celebration Church in Metairie, La (a suburb of New Orleans) as Pastor of Missions in from January 2007 through August 2008.
Since 2000, he has been a short term missionary to Ghana, West Africa, where the Irish Channel Christian Fellowship has assisted the National Baptist Convention of America build a Polytechnic school and seminary and has supported over 16 children and young adults in their educational pursuits. He has also led revivals and leadership development for pastors and church leaders in cities in Ghana, Togo, Liberia and in Turrialba, Costa Rica. By 2019 he had already completed 22 trips to West Africa and a visit to Uganda, in East Africa.
In addition to other commendations and awards, Rev. Tilton received the 1991 New Orleans General Hospital Eagle Award for community service, and in 1992 received the Outstanding Volunteer Award from Prison Fellowship in Louisiana. In 2015, he was made a Knight of the Order of the Academic Palms by the government of France, an order founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1808, in recognition of his contributions to the furtherance of French education and culture. In addition, two clans of the Gola people of Liberia made him a Paramount Chief in recognition of his extraordinary support provided the people of Liberia during their Ebola Crisis and his continued leadership to improving education in rural Liberia. He was also previously honored by Christian Bible College of Louisiana with a Doctor of Divinity degree. In 2018, President Samuel Tolbert, of the National Baptist Convention of America, International appointed Rev. Tilton, Deputy Secretary of Missions fro West Africa. Pastor Tilton has also received numerous Mayoral, City Council, and legislative commendations.
A call to proclaim God’s word has resulted in thirty-seven years of faithful and fulfilling service to God and community.
