THE REVEREND JEROME J. WASHINGTON is Pastor of the Mount Vernon Baptist, Durham, NC. Previously, he has served as pastor of the Metropolitan Baptist Church of Detroit, Michigan and the First Free Mission Baptist Church of New Orleans, LA.

Reverend Washington holds both a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from Xavier University of Louisiana. He has done theological studies at the Union Baptist Seminary and the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. In 1995, Pastor Washington was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in Religion and Counseling from Southwestern University. He has done postdoctoral studies at Christ Church College of the University of Oxford and Harvard Divinity School and is an alumnus of that Divinity School's Summer Leadership Institute. He is the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Tennessee School of Religion. Dr. Washington is an inductee into the Martin Luther King, Jr. College of Ministers and Laity at Morehouse College.

He was an adjunct professor of Hebrew Scriptures at Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit and is presently an Adjunct Professor at Apex School of Theology, Durham, NC. Dr. Washington has preached and lectured in religious settings in the United States, Canada, Panama, and England.

Dr. Washington’s sermons and articles have appeared both in print and online in the journal African American Pulpit. His other writings include, “Pastoral Care in the African American Church”, “The Cross in the Old Testament” “A Survey of Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians”, “A Strategic Drug Initiative: A Manual for Clergy and Religious Leaders”, “A Guide to Biblical Fasting” and “Proclaiming the Old Testament in the Christian Pulpit”.

Prior to becoming a minister, Reverend Washington performed as a classical singer throughout the United States and Europe.

He is a former public school teacher, counselor and adjunct professor at Delgado Community College in New Orleans. He is a Life Member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and is a 33rd degree Prince Hall Mason.

He serves as a board member of the North Carolina Council of Churches, the Durham Anti-Gang Commission and United Christian Campus Ministries of North Carolina Central University. He has one daughter, Janel Valerie and a grandson, Avery Lee.