The Rev. Dr. William E. Jackson, Sr.
Find out more about the devoted pastor serving the congregation at Fourth Baptist Church.
The Reverend Dr. William Eric Jackson, Sr. is a native of Kansas City, Missouri, but currently resides in North Chesterfield, Virginia. He is the proud husband of Dr. Donna Haskins Jackson and the proud father of William Eric Jackson, Jr. Dr. Jackson is a 1981 graduate of Southeast Senior High School of Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated from Rockhurst University, a private Jesuit College in Kansas City, Missouri in July of 1988, with the Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Finance and Economics.
Dr. Jackson was licensed to the Gospel Ministry by the Friendship Baptist Church of Kansas City, Missouri on March 11, 1990 under the leadership of the Reverend Dr. Clifford Eugene McLain. In May of 1993, Dr. Jackson graduated with honors, from the Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University, with the Masters of Divinity degree. He was then ordained to the Pastorate by the Zion Baptist Church of Richmond, Virginia on January 16, 1994 under the leadership of the Reverend Dr. Robert L. Pettis, Sr. In May of 2000, Dr. Jackson received the Doctor of Ministry Degree from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. Dr. Jackson has served as the Chaplain for the Rho Iota Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., of Chesterfield, Virginia, the State Convention Chaplain for the Virginia Association of Chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the Chaplain for the Eastern Region of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Dr. Jackson also served for seventeen years as the Institutional Chaplain for Sussex I State Prison of Waverly, Virginia and now serves on the Board of GraceInside of Richmond, Virginia, the Commonwealth’s provider of Chaplains for the Department of Corrections.
Dr. Jackson currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. Has served in this as Adjunct Professor since September of 2002 in the area of Practical Theology. He specifically teaches Church Administration and Baptist Polity. Dr. Jackson has humbly served four churches in North Carolina and Virginia throughout his ministry. These churches are the New Zion Baptist Church of Spindale, North Carolina, the Mount Carmel Baptist Church of Richmond, Virginia, the Emmanuel Community Church of Midlothian, Virginia and was called on June 25, 2018 to serve as the ninth Pastor of the historic Fourth Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia. Since assuming the pastorate of Fourth Baptist Church, Dr. Jackson has led the church to embrace its mission to “preach the Good News to all generations and to transform them into committed, liberated, empowered modern-day followers of Jesus Christ.” And its vision of becoming “A Church for All Generations”. Dr. Jackson loves God, family, and people. He loves the Church and he loves the people in the Church. He also loves to laugh and believes that laughter is truly medicine for the soul. Dr. Jackson’s life mission is to “bring glory to God in all that I do!”