Bishop Joseph Walker

Bishop Joseph Warren Walker, III, is the Senior Pastor of the historic Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Nashville, Tennessee. He was born in Shreveport, Louisiana to Deacon Joseph and Mrs. Rosa Walker.

Bishop Walker received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; a Master of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. He holds two honorary Doctorates from Meharry Medical College and Southern University, respectively. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Meharry Medical College and Citizens Savings Bank; in October 2016, he was appointed by TN Governor Bill Haslem to serve as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Tennessee State University. He is also a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and the Kappa Kappa Psi Band Fraternity.

Bishop Walker currently serves as the International Presiding Bishop in the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, International. In July 2013, he was chosen to succeed the founding International Presiding Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr.

In 1992, at the age of 24, Bishop Walker began his pastorate at Mt. Zion with 175 members. Presently, the ministry has grown to over 30,000 and continues to grow at a phenomenal rate of over 2,000 souls per year. Under his leadership, Mt. Zion has expanded beyond its original location on historic Jefferson Street to eight weekly services in three physical locations and also includes a worldwide virtual church location www.mtzionanywhere.tv which ministers to millions around the world.

A prolific writer, “Bishop,” as he is fondly called, is the author of eleven books. He and his wife, Dr. Stephaine, co-authored book number eight, Becoming A Couple of Destiny. His latest book was released in January 2018, entitled, No Opportunity Wasted: The Art of Execution. From the ivory halls of the academy to corporate boardrooms, even to the hallowed pews of our places of worship, NOW inundates you with practical strategies about how to execute vision. Your vision means nothing if it is dormant in some theoretical space but never comes down to the real world of practicality and implementation.

In 2017, The City Council approved the naming of a bridge in Nashville to be called the Bishop Joseph Walker, III Overpass, making Bishop Walker the only living pastor to have such an honor.

His inspiring messages make him a sought-after university commencement speaker. Bishop Walker is a regular guest on the Rickey Smiley Radio Show as well as a host of other nationally syndicated radio shows that reach millions across the United States. He also has been a guest on CNN, The CBS Morning News, The Roland Martin Show and authors a monthly Op-Ed in the Tennessean Tribune, entitled, Reset.

He is married to the former Dr. Stephaine M. Hale, who is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neonatology at Vanderbilt University. Both agree that their most joyous accomplishments to date has been the birth of their daughter, Jovanni Willow, who was born in May 2012, and their son, Joseph Warren Walker, IV, born February 2018.