Leaders Of The Week
Dr. Frederick Douglass Haynes, III
Senior Pastor
Frederick Douglass Haynes, III, is a prophetic pastor, passionate leader, social activist, and eloquent orator and educator engaged in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, fighting against racial injustice; committed to economic justice and empowerment in under-served communities and touching and transforming the lives of the disenfranchised. For 31 years, Dr. Haynes has served as a visionary and innovative senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. Under his servant leadership, the ministry and membership have grown from less than 100 members in 1983 to over 12,000.
Dr. Haynes was born in Dallas, TX and grew up in San Francisco, California. He is the grandson and son of socially conscious and active pastors. He attended public schools in the Bay Area and was one of three valedictory speakers when he graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco. Haynes graduated, with honors, from Bishop College in 1982 with a B.A. degree in Religion and English. He earned a Masters of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In 2005, he earned a Doctorate in Ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation where he was afforded the opportunity to study at Christ Church, Oxford University in Oxford England. His dissertation reflects his commitment to faith based social activism: To Turn The World Upside Down: Church Growth In A Church Committed to Social Justice.
Since Dr. Haynes accepted the call to become Senior Pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church, the church has grown numerically and in ministry to the Dallas community and around the world. Friendship-West has moved three times under the leadership of Haynes in order to accommodate its growth. When Friendship-West moved to its’ Kiest location, it moved to a community characterized by crime and violence. Dr. Haynes led Friendship-West to work with local officials and neighborhood groups in such a way that the community experienced a slashing of the crime rate, and the neighborhood association was organized and headquartered at Friendship-West. Many city services came to the area, that had been historically neglected and underserved, and the community was transformed.
Dr. Haynes is committed to education and has led Friendship-West to donate over a million dollars to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and over 2 million dollars in scholarship aid to students who are members of the church and community.
Dr. Haynes is married to Debra Peek-Haynes, founder and President of Quorum Commercial, a commercial real estate firm. They are the proud parents of Abeni Jewel Haynes.
Inspiring Body of Christ Church
Founder and Pastor
Rickie G. Rush, D.D. is the founder and pastor of the Inspiring Body of Christ Church (IBOC) in Dallas, TX where he ministers to a diverse congregation of over 10,000 members. He has over 40 years of evangelism, teaching and pastoring experience and is an acclaimed author. Nationally, Pastor Rush has appeared on Trinity Broadcasting Network and Daystar Television Network. He also appears regularly on local radio and television networks, continuing to bring the simplicity of God’s Word to the masses.
Rickie G. Rush is a gifted pastor and teacher who communicates God’s Word with excellence and simplicity, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He resides in Dallas, Texas withhis grandson, daughter, and wife.
Dr. Rush’s achievements include a Bachelor of Arts degree in secondary education from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a Doctor of Divinity degree from Rialto Bible College. Prior to his current commitment as full-time pastor,Dr. Rush taught theater arts at Skyline High School for 17 years. He has taught courses at the Cedar Valley Community College and at Christ for the Nations Institute.He currently serves as principal at the Mary L. Rush Children’s “College” and Christian Academy.
