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Willie Dwayne Francois III serves as Senior Pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Pleasantville, New Jersey (Atlantic City). He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Religion and holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School. Francois was inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Rev. Martha L. Simmons, Esq., he is the co-author of the book Christian Minister’s Manual: For the Pulpit and the Public Square for All Denomination—the most progressive and comprehensive clergy service resource for priestly and prophetic ministries. Francois' pastoral activism takes shape around racial and economic justice and criminal justice reform. He is an adjunct instructor in African American Studies at the University of Houston and serves as a Clergy Consultant and co-chair of the Theological Working Group of the Black Church Center for Justice and Equality. For 2014-2015, Francois was named a Beatitudes Society Fellow, focusing on congregational responses to Mass Incarceration and empowering returning citizens. Francois is a core team member of Black Lives Matter: Atlantic City.
