In a unanimous decision, the congregation of Mt. Zion Baptist Church voted on Monday for Rev. Dr. Jonathan Jamel H. McReynolds to be the next pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church of Seattle.The unanimous vote by the church brings an end to a two-year process to find the next pastor of Mt. Zion.
In a memo to members of the church, the Mt. Zion pastoral search committee said, “We have enjoyed a full weekend of activities to introduce the membership and community to the Senior Pastoral candidate, and hope that you have had an occasion to meet him and his delightful wife.”
“With our full support, please join us in welcoming Rev. Dr. Jonathan Jamel H. McReynolds as the next shepherd of Mount Zion Baptist Church,” the memo concluded.
Rev. Dr. McReynolds has over 30 years of experience in the ministry, with 26 of those years having served as senior pastor in four churches. Currently Dr. McReynolds is Senior Pastor of Aenon Missionary Baptist Church of Rochester, New York. He is a fourth-generation clergy licensed and ordained by his Grandfather, the late Rev. Dr. W. G. Harvey. He has a positive pastoral record of serving both traditional and contemporary Baptist congregations. He has served in various leadership roles within the Baptist witness. Dr. McReynolds’ vision for ministry is that ministry should be inclusive of evangelism, empowerment, education and economics.
Holding a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management, in addition to his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry Degrees from United Theological Seminary, Rev. Dr. McReynolds brings a community church-based economic and community development approaches that he studied in an Executive Studies Program at Harvard Divinity School. An educator, he currently teaches Pastoral Counseling and Care in the doctoral program at United Theological Seminary.
Dr. McReynolds is both a spiritual leader and a force for social justice in the community. As an orator, he is captivating and heartfelt, which attracts people from all faith communities. He shines bright as a loving husband to his wife, Princess, and a doting father of four.
