DR. MICHAEL P. WILLIAMS

Dr. Michael P. Williams is a native of St. Louis, Missouri and a third generation Baptist

pastor. He holds the Bachelor of Arts degree from Westminster College (Fulton,

Missouri), the Master of Divinity degree from Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut),

and the Doctor of Ministry degree from Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Texas).

He is also the recipient of two honorary degrees.

For forty (40) years, Dr. Williams has served as the Senior Pastor for two

congregations: East End Baptist Tabernacle (Bridgeport, Connecticut), Antioch

Missionary Baptist Church (Houston, Texas), and for thirty (30) years the Founding

Pastor of JOY Tabernacle (Houston, Texas).

In 2011, with the relocation and purchase of a new 40,000 square foot facility, JOY

Tabernacle was rebranded to “The Genesis Church”. The tagline for this new ministry

initiative is “ A Place For New Beginnings!”

Dr. Williams has a national reputation as an exemplary and effective community

leader, teacher, and thinker. He is a powerful preacher and dynamic motivational

speaker, much in demand in pulpits, on college campuses and at conventions across the nation. The Houston Chronicle said this regarding Dr. Williams’ preaching ability;

“Williams combines a polished Ivy League knowledge of the Bible with an earthy,

passionate preaching style.”

Dr. Williams has preached in forty-one (41) of the fifty states, on three (3) continents,

and in the Middle East. However, Houston has been the prime beneficiary of some of

the nation’s most impacting preaching and teaching. Dr. Williams ministers on weekly

television (“A Fresh Start!”), and for over a decade he shared the Good News of Jesus

Christ on “The Gateway to JOY!” This daily proclamation of God’s Word was the most

listened to radio broadcast to the African-American religious community!

In 1994, Dr. Williams was inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers

at Morehouse College, honored as a “Distinguished Preacher whose proclamation and

community service exemplifies the social ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” This

citation lauded Dr. Williams as the “Pastoral Genius of the American pulpit”

In 1999, the Houston Defender named Dr. Williams one of the “Big 15”, the top fifteen

African-American pastors in Houston. They cited him as a leader whose “involvement in

the community in the religious, business, and political arenas coupled with his overall

influence crosses ethnic and economic classes.”

In 1999 Dr. Williams was elected to the Board of Trustees for the Houston Community

College System. (HCC). Houston Community College is the largest educational

institution in the Gulf Coast region with over 75,000 students enrolled. Dr. Williams was

elected to represent District 4, the most ethnically and economically diverse district in the system. In his first attempt at elective office, Dr. Williams received a landslide 60% of the vote over the incumbent office holder! He was re-elected without opposition in 2005. He served as Board Chair on two separate occasions and received national

recognition for his leadership. He was honored with a scholarship in his name (2011)

and upon his retirement from elected office (2012) was given HCC's Lifetime

Achievement Award.

In 2010, Dr. Williams was honored by his alma mater (Westminster College) with its

Lifetime Alumni Achievement Award and in 2011 was elected to the College's Board of

Trustees. In both instances he was the first African American to be so honored.

Dr. Williams has served on the faculties of the Houston Graduate School of Theology,

Sacred Heart University (Connecticut), the University of Bridgeport (Connecticut), and

the University of Houston. He has been a commencement speaker for Texas Southern

University, Houston Community College and the historic Jack Yates High School. He

has been a guest speaker at Prairie View A&M University, Rice University, Morehouse

College, University of Texas, Texas Christian University, Yale University, and Princeton

University.

Dr. Williams was included in the inaugural edition of “Who’s Who in Black Houston”, is

a is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and a Senior Fellow of the

American Leadership Forum. Dr. Williams is the recipient of many awards and

recognitions, too numerous to mention. He is also the author of articles in professional

and popular periodicals, as well as the author of three books.

Dr. Williams is married to the former Donna J. Morton of Detroit, Michigan. They have

three (3) adult children and eight (8) grandchildren.