Stakes Is High

The Reverend Dr. Michael W. Waters is founding pastor of Joy Tabernacle African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church in Dallas, Texas, one of the newest and fastest-growing A.M.E. churches in the state. As a pastor, professor, author, community leader, and social commentator, his words of hope and empowerment inspire national and international audiences. Featured in EBONY Magazine among America's emerging leaders, Waters's keen insights have been engaged upon such esteemed platforms as ABC Nightline, CBS This Morning, The NBC Nightly News, MSNBC, PBS Newshour, BBC Newsnight, VICE on HBO, National Public Radio, The Washington Post, and The Associated Press. He holds bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees with honors from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Named "Pastor of the Year" at the Center for Theological Activism's 2015 Justice Awards, Waters is a Dallas Business Journal Class of 2015 "40 under 40" honoree and a recipient of the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the Council on American - Islamic Relation's 2016 Community Leader of the Year Award. He is also a recipient of Southern Methodist University's 2015 Distinguished Alumni Emerging Leader Award. The author of the award-winning book Freestyle: Reflections on Faith, Family, Justice, and Pop Culture (Upper Room Books, 2014), Waters's writings have appeared in such respected publications as The Huffington Post, Feasting on the Gospels Bible Commentary, and Upper Room Disciplines. Waters is married to Yulise Reaves Waters, Esq. They are the proud parents of three children.