Dr. Carlos D. Williams, Senior Pastor
Reverend Carlos D. Williams is a native of Alabama and the youngest child born to Rev. Wales W. Williams, Sr. and Sister Brenda Williams. Licensed to preach in 1994 and ordained in 1997, he has 30 years in the preaching ministry. His pastoral ministry experience spans 25 years, having pastored congregations in his home state of Alabama, Michigan, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Currently, he serves as the proud Senior Pastor of The Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, and has held that position since August of 2021.
After graduating from high school in 1993, Rev. Williams attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia for three-and-a half years and relocated to Birmingham, Alabama after being called into full-time pastoral ministry. He then enrolled in the Birmingham-Easonian Baptist Bible College in Birmingham, Alabama to further his theological training, where he received both a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Pastoral Ministry.
He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and Master of Arts degree in Theological Studies from Faith International University and Seminary of Tacoma, Washington. Rev. Williams enrolled at the Virginia University of Lynchburg in Lynchburg, Viriginia (HBCU) in 2018 and earned a Doctorate degree in ministry in May of 2021 and is a proud Leonard N. Smith Fellow. His dissertation was entitled “Equipping Informally Trained Christian Educators with the Principles of Biblical Exposition.”
Rev. Williams is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, Virginia University of Lynchburg, where he leads a cohort in the Doctor of Ministry Program. The focus of his cohort is “Expositional Preaching and Teaching in the African American Church Context.” He has also served as a biblical studies instructor and extension director for the Birmingham-Easonian Baptist Bible College. He is a revivalist and lecturer to churches across denominational lines and has been the keynote speaker for several bible colleges and seminaries’ lecture series and founder’s days.
He was appointed in 2024 as the Vice-President at-Large for the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education, an auxiliary of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Incorporated led by Dr. Boise Kimber. He has been an instructor and lecturer in both the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education and Sunday School Publishing Board of the National Baptist Convention for 15 years.
He is married to the former Joannie Dionne Holiday, also a native of Alabama, and they are the proud parents of 2 wonderful sons: Corbin and Kenan. He is driven by the power of God to glorify God in every way as he is reminded of the challenge of his mother before her passing, “son, preach the word and live the life.”
