David Wayne Watkins, III
The Reverend David Wayne Watkins, III is the first of two sons born to the late David Watkins, Jr. and Mildred Brown Watkins. A product of the Chicago Public School System, Rev. Watkins received his elementary education from the James E. McDade Magnet School and secondary education from the Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. He further received the Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and the Masters of Divinity degree from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (NBTS) in Lombard, Illinois.
Among the gifts and talents with which God has blessed Rev. Watkins, none are more meaningful and fulfilling to him than teaching, preaching, and serving. Rev. Watkins currently serves as the fifth pastor of Greater Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church. Pastor Watkins is blessed with the challenging opportunity and privilege to serve those who are hurting – in the church and in the Washington Park neighborhood. Under his leadership, Greater Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church is “Loving Our God, Living Our Name!” by touching people, transforming lives, changing families, nurturing children, honoring seniors, developing leaders, and inspiring God-given talents and gifts to positively impact upon our community for Christ. By God’s grace, Pastor David’s deepest desire is to exalt Christ, equip Christians, and encourage the Community through the life-changing, life-giving Word of God.
As Senior Pastor and life-long member of the Greater Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church, Pastor Watkins has witnessed firsthand the devastating effects that poverty, violence, and poor education has on the community and the local church. As God’s agent for transformation in the
world, David believes the church has a vested interest in the holistic wellbeing of the communities where we live, learn, work and worship. He insists that the renewal of the church is “inextricably bound” to the renewal of the community. With a passion for leadership, church renewal, and
community revitalization, Pastor Watkins is encouraging and equipping disciples to engage the community with God’s love and participate in God’s mission to transform it through service, particularly in the areas of education equality; youth mentoring and empowerment; anti-violence
and restorative justice initiatives; and (socio)economic development.
As a “co-vocational” pastor, Reverend Watkins also serves as the Assistant Dean of Student Academics and Support at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. In this role, he passionately engages the theological and spiritual formation of leaders for service in the church and
world in the 21st century. Additionally, Pastor Watkins currently serves in a leadership capacity on several boards/committees, including the American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago as the Associate Regional Minister for African American Ministries; Partners for Sacred Places, and the Bishop Anderson House. His three black, beautiful, and brilliant sons (Jadon, Jonathan, and Joseph) are the greatest joys of his life.
