Mark Johnson, D. Min.
Johnson earned a Doctor of Ministry from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, with his project titled Racial Reconciliation in the Southern Baptist Convention, focusing on the themes of repentance, reconciliation, and restoration. His debut book, Black Church White Convention: A Pastor’s Story of Hope, set for release in spring 2025, chronicles his experience leading an African American church into the Southern Baptist Convention.
In 2019, Johnson and his family relocated to New Orleans to pursue a Ph.D. in Evangelism, Pastoral Ministries, and Christian Leadership. After guiding Edgewater Baptist Church of New Orleans through the COVID-19 pandemic as senior pastor, he joined the faculty at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary as assistant professor of evangelism and pastoral ministries and director of the Doctor of Ministry Division.
He and his wife, Heather Williams Johnson, a former LCU Board of Trustees member, have been married for 29 years. They have four children.
Johnson now serves as a trustee of Washington and Jefferson College, previously as chairman of the Development and Alumni Relations Committee, and currently as chairman of the Student Success Committee, as well as a member of the Enrollment/Admissions Committee, and the Campaign Steering Committee advising on a $200-million campaign.
Johnson is a third-generation Baptist minister. He graduated with his B.A. from Washington and Jefferson College in 1994, becoming the first African American senior class commencement speaker in the college’s 243-year history.
After a professional basketball career in Europe and South America, he earned his Master of Divinity in 2004 and Master of Theology in 2005, both from Princeton Theological Seminary.
As a student at Princeton, Johnson was named executive director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at the 7,000-member Metropolitan Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. He was honored as one of the “100 Positive Men of New Jersey” for his impactful work with at-risk youth. Johnson transitioned to the nonprofit sector as the National Best Men Program director for the Best Friends Youth Foundation in Washington, D.C., where he presented character-based curricula on Capitol Hill for U.S. school districts.
In 2009, Johnson was elected the eighth pastor of Liberty Hill Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio, where he led significant church and community growth. He established national partnerships with churches, businesses, and organizations, including Hollywood’s Paramount Pictures, and annually mobilized more than 1,000 missionaries to revitalize Cleveland. His work also attracted the attention of Baseball Chapel, leading to his appointment as chaplain for the then Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) in 2016-18, where he served alongside his wife to provide spiritual and family support for the organization.