Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael W. Waters.
Michael, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have been married to my wife, Atty. Yulise Reaves Waters for sixteen years next month. We have been together in total for twenty years. We are the proud parents of three children who range in age from thirteen to eight-years-old. I have been preaching for going on twenty-four years, and I have served as a lead pastor for almost seventeen years. I have also worked in corporate America, as a staff person in party politics, in University Chaplaincy and as a dean of the chapel, and as a professor teaching undergraduate, seminary, and doctoral classes. I am a national award-winning author of adult non-fiction and children’s books, and I have traveled to preach and lecture all across America. I have three earned degrees – a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree – with honors from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
A few of the honors that I have previously received are Ebony Magazine’s Top Young Leaders in America recognition, the Distinguished Alumni Award of Mirabeau B. Lamar High School in Houston, Texas, the Distinguished Alumni Emerging Leader Award of Southern Methodist University, and the National Wilbur Award in Non-fiction. I have appeared on ABC Nightline, BBC Newsnight, CBS This Morning, C-SPAN, MSNBC Live, The NBC Nightly News, NPR, PBS Newshour, and VICE on HBO, and my work has also been featured or mentioned in The Associated Press, The Chicago Tribune, The Christian Century, D Magazine, Ebony Magazine, Epitome Magazine, Faith and Leadership, GQ Magazine, The Huffington Post, Newsweek, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Reading Religion, Reuters, Sojourners Magazine, Texas Monthly, Yahoo! News, and The Washington Post, as well as on CNN, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the Today Show, and other media outlets. My accomplishments have been officially entered into the United States Congressional Record and are archived at the Library of Congress.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Life is filled with twists and turns, but I am extraordinarily blessed, and I would trade nothing for my journey. I am very aware that despite challenges, God has numerous open doors for me and for my family. I am also quite aware that many face significant challenges for which any struggles that I have faced pale in comparison. It has not always been a smooth road, but it has always been a blessed road, and for this, I am grateful.
Please tell us about Abundant Life A.M.E. Church.
I am the founder and Lead Pastor of Abundant Life A.M.E. Church in Dallas, Texas. I previously founded Joy Tabernacle A.M.E. Church in Dallas in December 2008, the first successfully planted new A.M.E. congregation in Dallas in 50 years. Our congregation also became the fastest-growing A.M.E. church in our annual conference of over 60 A.M.E. churches. In 2016, our Bishop, Vashti Murphy McKenzie, requested that Joy Tabernacle adopt Agape Temple A.M.E. Church in Dallas, a nearly 100-year-old congregation that has built a brand new sanctuary ten years prior but was in jeopardy of being closed and losing its properties. By the grace of God, we were able to pull the church out of the red, eliminate the church’s mortgage (ahead of schedule), and ultimately combine both congregations into one, which is now Abundant Life. We carry out our ministry presently on two campuses, the Agape Worship Center, our primary worship location, and the Joy Empowerment Center, our primary community outreach and organizing space.
We are known for a creative approach to worship and to preaching, frequently engaging hip hop and other forms of popular culture. Our approach has even been featured internationally by the BBC. We are known for our community activism and outreach and for being outspoken and for organizing around matters of police brutality, racism, poverty, immigration reform, mass incarceration, homelessness, criminal justice reform, food apartheid, public education and youth empowerment. We have frequently hosted community forums and provide space for organizing to address these critical concerns. We have also provided resources to our community ranging from free shoes for children to free PPE; and from providing micro-grants to families impacted by COVID-19 to registering and taking voters to the polls.
While we have a wide range of age demographics in our church, one thing that sets us apart is our youthfulness. Over 75% of our adult population is under the age of 50 with approximately 70% under the age of 45, whereas the average age of most congregations, especially those in the Black Church tradition, is over 65. While we are in the Black tradition, we have members who are white and Latino.
I am most proud of how the members of our church look out for one another. We are a giving and supportive congregation, and there is rarely a need that arises within our church that someone in our church does not have the capacity to help support. And this care, concern, and support spills out from our church to touch the community at large.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
All praise and glory belongs to God! I also praise God for the many mentors and supporters that God has brought into my life. I would be nothing without my family, and I am particularly grateful for the love, wisdom and support given to me by my wife. I am also grateful to my parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins who nurtured me and loved me and challenged me to pursue excellence, and who still do today. I am also honored to serve the most supportive church in the world, a church that prays daily for its pastor and that make selfless sacrifices to advance the work and calling of our church. It would take me all day to mention everyone who has positively help me and shaped my life, from teachers, professors, and pastors to custodial workers and dining hall staff. Too many people to name have made major contributions to my life, but I am aware that all good and perfect gifts come from God, and that is why I give God all the praise.
Contact Info:
- Website: michaelwwaters.com
- Instagram: RevDrMikeWaters
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/RevDrMikeWatersFREESTYLE
- Twitter: RevDrMikeWaters
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
