The Reverend Xavier L. Johnson, D. Min. is the twelfth pastor of the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church of Dayton, Ohio. Under Dr. Johnson’s leadership, the Bethel Baptist Church has continued to live into its mission of “Sharing Christ, Showing Compassion, and Serving the Community” through the expansion of its local, national, and international missional footprint.

The Florida native was educated in the Hillsborough County public school system in Tampa, FL. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida where he earned both a Bachelor of Arts degree in British and American Literature and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in English Education. He is also a cum laude graduate of the Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in Theological Studies, with a concentration in New Testament theology.

A scholar and expert in clergy leadership, Pastor Johnson holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in Ministry Development from Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, having successfully defended his doctoral thesis,“To Serve this Present Age: Rethinking African-American Clergy Leadership in the 21st-Century”. He was also the lead writer and editor of “On Justice and Peace in Palestine and Israel”, a position paper on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict co-authored for the Lott Carey Foreign Missions Society.

Dr. Johnson has presented papers, given lectures, and preached sermons across the globe. His service to the Body of Christ has taken him to Jamaica, Cuba, Ghana, South Africa, Israel, Palestine, Italy, India, and the United Kingdom. In addition to his academic and religious work, Dr. Johnson is actively involved in the greater Dayton community. He presently serves as a board member for the Family Services Association and the Center for Urban Ministry at United Theological Seminary. Fraternally, he is member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and also currently serves as an Associate Grand Chaplain of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ohio and an Imperial Chaplain- Deputy of the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine of North and South America, Prince Hall Affiliation.