Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Slavoski Wright Sr..
Hi Dr. Slavoski, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story is about calling and service. I grew up in Dallas and learned early that faith is not a Sunday activity. It is a way of life. I sensed a call to ministry in my twenties and began preaching, teaching, and serving wherever I was needed. At the same time, I felt drawn to protect and serve my community through law enforcement. Those two streams have shaped everything about me as a man, a husband, a father, a grandfather, a pastor, and a leader.
I entered law enforcement in 2008 and spent years on the street learning people, pressure, and responsibility. I later served as a TSA certified explosive detection K9 handler and worked dignitary details with federal partners. Over time I moved into leadership. Today I serve as a Police Lieutenant and Regional Manager for Public Safety with Baylor Scott & White Health, overseeing multiple hospital campuses. My philosophy is simple. Bring courage and compassion to the job. Protect people, de-escalate when possible, and lead with integrity. In a hospital environment you are often meeting people on the hardest day of their lives. That demands a customer service mindset, a steady presence, and high standards.
Along the way, I kept sharpening my ministry tools. I earned a Bachelor and a Master of Christian Ministry from Wayland Baptist University and received a Doctor of Divinity. I am currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Ministry Leadership from Liberty University, with an expected completion in 2027. I serve as Senior Pastor of Greater El Bethel – Dallas, a historic church in the Tenth Street Freedman’s Town. Our building was raised by a previous generation. Our mandate is to honor that legacy while reaching this generation with the Gospel.
Pastoring and policing may look different from the outside, but both ask the same questions. Will you show up. Will you tell the truth. Will you serve people when it costs you something. Those questions formed my voice as a preacher and my decisions as a leader. I launched initiatives that build community impact, like our church’s Campaign 50 for renovation and future planning, and the H.A.L.O. nonprofit vision to meet practical needs, connect people to resources, and invest in students through scholarships.
I also write, because words outlive moments. I co-authored “Blended and Loving It: 30-Day Devotional for Blended Families,” and released “Faith to Elevate: Start Where You Are. Elevate by Faith.” The heartbeat of my writing is the same as my preaching. Start where you are. Take the next faithful step. Trust God to grow you. One of my favorite reminders is, “It is hard to see the picture when you are the frame.” We all need perspective, mentors, and a community that pulls us forward.
How did I get here. By God’s grace, a supportive family, and a lot of steady work. I keep learning. I keep showing up. I keep choosing service over status. Whether I am in a pulpit or a patrol briefing, my aim is the same. Love people. Lead well. Leave things better than I found them.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it has not been a smooth road. It has been a meaningful road. I serve bi-vocationally as a Senior Pastor and a Police Lieutenant. That means midnight phone calls, hospital hallways at 3 a.m., and then a pulpit on Sunday morning. The tension is real. People need you on both fronts, and you do not get to pick your crisis window. I had to learn boundaries, build systems, and protect time with my wife and children so that I could lead from a full heart rather than an empty tank.
Church revitalization has brought its own stretch. Greater El Bethel sits in a historic Dallas neighborhood with a sacred past and very present needs. Renovation costs, preservation requirements, and the slow work of trust building can test your patience and your budget. Fundraising is not glamorous. Vision sometimes outpaces resources. Yet I have watched God provide, one faithful step at a time. Our “Campaign 50” taught me that consistency beats hype and that people rally around clarity.
In law enforcement, especially in a hospital setting, you meet people on their hardest days. I have stood with families during code blues, managed threats to staff, and led teams through short staffing and policy changes. The weight is real. Officer wellness is not a slogan for me. It is a necessity. I have had to invest in training, de-escalation, and a customer service model of policing that treats every person with dignity while keeping our campuses safe.
Personally, I have walked through fatigue, criticism, and moments of quiet doubt. Leading at work, leading at church, and pursuing my Doctor of Ministry at Liberty University has required discipline and humility. I learned to ask for help, to rest without guilt, and to stay accountable to mentors who tell me the truth. I remind myself often: “Grace is better than grind.” Progress over perfection. Start where you are. Elevate by faith.
What kept me moving was simple and steady. Faith in Christ. A strong marriage. A committed team. Daily habits in the Word and prayer. When the road bent, I chose to stay teachable and keep serving. The struggles have not disqualified me. They have defined me. They taught me to love people, lead well, and leave things better than I found them.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I serve Dallas in two lanes that meet at one mission. I am the Senior Pastor of Greater El Bethel – Dallas, and a Police Lieutenant and Regional Manager for Public Safety with Baylor Scott & White Health. In the pulpit I preach sound biblical doctrine with real life application, develop leaders, and shepherd a historic congregation in the Tenth Street community. In uniform I oversee multi-campus hospital public safety operations, lead investigations and emergency response, and train officers in de-escalation and customer service policing. Both roles ask for the same things every day. Tell the truth, love people, and lead with integrity under pressure.
I specialize in building culture. In the church that means clear vision, practical discipleship, and community engagement that meets real needs. In public safety that means calm command presence, policy that works on the ground, and training that treats every person with dignity while keeping people safe. I am known for being steady in crises, clear in communication, and consistent in follow through.
I am most proud of people, not titles. Watching members grow in faith, families heal, and young leaders find their voice. Watching officers I supervise mature into trusted professionals who handle hard calls with courage and compassion. I am also grateful for our ongoing church revitalization work in a sacred historic space, and for the chance to write resources that outlive a Sunday, including Faith to Elevate and Blended and Loving It.
What sets me apart is the combination of pastor and police. I live at the intersection of compassion and structure. I can bring a word of hope to a hurting room, and I can build the system that keeps that room safe. I lead like a servant, think like a strategist, and act like a shepherd. My simple philosophy is this. Start where you are. Take the next faithful step. Elevate by faith.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I like best about Dallas is the people. I was born here, raised here, and I have served here my whole adult life. Dallas has grit and grace. You see it in church pews on Sunday and in hospital hallways on Monday. You see it in the way neighbors rebuild after storms, show up for each other in a crisis, and keep pushing for a better future. I love the mix of cultures, the food, the arts, the sports, and the unshakable belief that hard work still matters. In both of my lanes, pastoring and public safety, I meet people who are resilient, generous, and ready to lead. That spirit is the best part of this city.
What I like least is the gap between potential and reality in some neighborhoods. We have historic communities that shaped Dallas, yet they have not received the same investment, access, or attention. You can feel the north–south divide in opportunities for youth, in small business support, in health outcomes, and in basic infrastructure. We also carry real challenges around homelessness, mental health, reentry, and violent crime. Traffic and rising costs do not help families who are already stretched. I will not sugarcoat that. We can do better.
I am hopeful because I see what works. When churches, schools, hospitals, law enforcement, and business leaders work together, change happens. In my world that looks like customer service policing that treats people with dignity, practical outreach through the church, mentoring pipelines for students, and targeted investment in places like Oak Cliff and South Dallas. It looks like preserving historic neighborhoods while creating new pathways to jobs, housing, and health.
I love this city. I am committed to it. Dallas has the talent and the heart to close the gaps. My philosophy is simple. Start where you are. Take the next faithful step. Elevate by faith.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gebdallas.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drslwrightsr/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drslwrightsr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drslwrightsr/
- Twitter: https://x.com/DrSLWrightSr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GEBDallas
- Other: https://linqapp.com/drslwrightsr?r=link
Image Credits
Alex J. Martin
