Rev. Willa Rose Johnson is the pastor of Greenwood Baptist Church in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Greenwood is an historic Christian community committed to Jesus and His teachings on social justice and personal rebirth. Pastor Willa was called to Greenwood in 2018, and is the first woman to pastor this 164 year old congregation.

 

Before answering the call to ministry, Pastor Willa worked as a

faith-based organizer at the Gamaliel Foundation, where she ran

campaigns to promote legislation around fair healthcare, equitable

education, and the civil rights of immigrants. She moved from her

home state of Georgia to New York to pursue preparation for ministry, and received a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in 2014. While at Union, Pastor Willa was awarded the Wyn Wright Prize or Biblical Languages and the Maxwell Fellowship for Promise of Excellence in Parish Ministry. Soon after graduating, she began serving at First Corinthian Baptist Church, where she was licensed to preach and subsequently ordained into the Gospel ministry. Pastor Willa served at FCBC as Pastor for Programming & Community Engagement.

 

In addition to her pastoral duties, Pastor Willa serves on the board

of New York Theological Seminary, a seminary dedicated to relevant,

restorative and revolutionary ministry. Pastor Willa is a gifted preacher and teacher who is enthusiastic about seeing people healed by God’s love and our world changed by God’s power.