Dr. Mark Louis Johnson Sr., born in Anderson, Indiana, was licensed and ordained as a Baptist minister, making him the third generation in his family to enter the ministry. In 1994, he graduated from Washington and Jefferson College, becoming the first African American Senior Class Commencement Speaker in the college’s 243-year history. Dr. 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 $200million campaign.
After a professional basketball career in Europe and South America, he pursued graduate studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, earning both a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology in Christian Education. While attending Princeton, Dr. 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. Dr. Johnson transitioned to the nonprofit sector as the National Best Men Program Director for the Best Friends Youth Foundation in Washington, DC, where he presented character-based curricula on Capitol Hill for U.S. school districts.
In 2009, Dr. 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 over 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.
Dr. 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 and published by B&H Academics, chronicles his experience leading an African American church into the Southern Baptist Convention. Dr. Johnson also contributed to Engage: Tools for Contemporary Evangelism, edited by Dr. Craig Price.
In 2019, Dr. 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. Dr. Johnson currently serves as Interim Pastor, professor, lecturer, researcher, and Chaplain for various college and profession sports leagues. He has been married to his college sweetheart, Heather Williams Johnson, for 29 years, and they have four children: Mark Jr., Jonathan, Victoria, and Benjamin.
