Rev. Wendell H. Paris, Jr.

Reverend Wendell H. Paris, Jr.
Minister of Christian Education & Discipleship
Sixth Avenue Baptist Church
Birmingham, AL

Reverend Wendell H. Paris, Jr. was born the youngest of four children to Wendell and Almeta Paris. He was baptized at a young age, and as a member of the First Baptist Church of Livingston, AL, he began serving the Lord. He completed undergraduate studies at Tuskegee University.

During his senior year at Tuskegee he accepted God & call to ministry, and enrolled at Colgate- Rochester Divinity School of Rochester, NY. There he earned the Master of Divinity degree, focusing on ethics and theology.

He was licensed into the gospel ministry at Mount Olivet Baptist Church of Rochester, NY, under the pastorate of Reverend Dwight Cook, D. Min. Thereafter, he moved to Miami, FL to serve as a Pastoral Associate at Mount Tabor Baptist Church under the pastorate of Reverend George E. McRae, D. Min.

Reverend Paris served as the Supervisor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Minorities Overcoming the Virus through Education, Responsibility, and Spirituality, Incorporated (M.O.V.E.R.S., Inc.), a community based organization established from the church’s HIV/AIDS and Substance Abuse ministries.

Reverend Paris continued his loving pursuit of theological education and formation by enrolling at Christian Theological Seminary as a candidate for the Master of Theological Studies degree. Upon completing his pursuit, he relocated to New York City and served as Pastor of the Christian Education, Healthcare, Substance Abuse, HIV/AIDS, and Outreach Ministries at the Concord
Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, NY, under Rev. Gary V. Simpson, D. Min.

He was ordained to gospel ministry at Mount Tabor Baptist Church of Miami, FL in July 2005. He served as University Chaplain and Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Florida Memorial
University from January 2007 to January 2015. Reverend Paris served as Senior Pastor of Mount Tabor Baptist Church of Miami from 2017 – 2022. Mount Tabor is an historic congregation, founded in 1901, and currently boasts a membership of more than 500. The church has twenty one ministries, with its primary foci on outreach ministries (substance abuse, prison ministry, food insecurity), Christian education, and missions.

Reverend Paris is a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) candidate in Practical Theology at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, FL. He will defend his dissertation project, Ubuntu as
Practical Theology, in March 2023.

Reverend Paris is a member of several professional, ecclesial, and community organizations, including the American Academy of Religion, the Association of Practical Theology, American Baptist Churches, Inc., the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., and the advisory boards of the UNCF and the Florida Memorial University Graduate School of Theology.

Reverend Paris is blessed beyond measure with twin boys, George Nicholas and Wendell, III.