OUR LEADER
Rev. Dr. Ronald W. Whitaker, II
The Rev. Dr. Ronald W. Whitaker, Il is the Senior Pastor at the Historic
Mother African Union Church. Dr. Whitaker is an ordained minister of the
Gospel, who has held numerous ministerial leadership positions for over 19 years. As Spiritual thought leader. Dr. Whitaker has been uniquely gifted to assist churches, ministries, and faith based organizations.
As a Critical Scholar-Practitioner , Dr. Whitaker is the Culturally Responsive Assistant Professor of Education at Cabrini University, an appointed Schouver Fellow in Improvement Inquiry at Duquesne University, and an Adjunct Professor in the Human Services Department at Lancaster Bible College and Seminary. Dr. Whitaker presents his research at both national and international conferences. His research centers on issues of Race, Racism, White supremacy, Social Justice, the Plight of Black Males, and the Prophetic Black Church Tradition
Educationally, The Rev. Dr. Ronald W. Whitaker, II has earned Five degrees. He received his Doctorate Degree from both The University of Pennsylvania and Eastern University, and Undergraduate Degrees in Urban Ministry Leadership and Biblical Studies from Geneva College at the Center for Urban Theological Studies where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. Further, Dr. Whitaker also earned a Certificate in Culturally Sustaining Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and an Executive Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University.
Additionally, as a Minister of the Gospel, The Rev. Dr. Ronald W. Whitaker, II has been blessed to receive theological professional development training at the annual Black Theology and Leadership Institute at Princeton Theological Seminary, The E.K. Bailey Preaching Conference, and Christian Research and Development (CRD).
Apart from work and ministry, Dr. Whitaker enjoys spending time with his wife ( Sheronda ) and daughter ( Rayan ), reading and watching documentaries, eating seafood, and traveling. As a Prophetic The Black Preacher, The Rev. Dr. Ronald W. Whitaker, II finds ministry inspiration in Luke 4: 18.19, which declares:
“ The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me,
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of Sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. "
Pastor Emeritus
Rev. Dr. Lawrence M. Livingston
Rev. Dr. Lawrence M. Livingston has been pastor of the historic Mother African Union Church for 22 years, the oldest incorporated African American congregations in the nation. He has served ministry and church related positions
In Maryland, Dover, DE, Wilmington, and including the Peninsula-Delaware Conference of the UMC and the United Methodist News Service in Washington, D.C. on Capitol Hill. He is a founding member of the Coalition to Dismantle the New Jim Crow. He is an Assistant Professor of Black American Studies at the University of Delaware, serving the Associate in Arts Program. He hold a B.A in Journalism and a M.Div. both from Howard University, and a D.Min. from Wesley Theological Seminary.