Dr. Joseph W. Daniels, Jr. is a husband, father, pastor, author, prophetic imaginer and leader of a relevant, enthusiastic, authentic, and loving church movement. Pastor Daniels has dedicated his life to growing the kingdom of God. He is currently doing so in two roles: as the District Superintendent of the Greater Washington District of the Baltimore-Washington Conference (since July 2013) and as Lead Pastor at Emory United Methodist Church (since July 1992).
During his leadership at Emory, the congregation has grown from an average of 55 people in weekly worship attendance to over 400 every Sunday. Emory seeks to be a “Real Church for Real People” and has been acknowledged numerous times for its role in changing lives and changing communities. The church has been awarded the “Kim Jefferson Northeast Jurisdictional Award” for effective urban ministry representing the United Methodist Church and has been selected as one of the 25 Congregational Resource Centers in the “Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century” effort of the United Methodist Church.
Pastor Daniels holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Wesley Theological Seminary (2000) in Washington, D.C. He is also a 1991 graduate of Howard University School of Divinity, and has earned a Bachelor and Master degrees in the areas of Public Communication, Psychology, Journalism and Public Affairs from American University (1982, 1984) in Washington, D.C. He is very active in community affairs, serving as a co-chair of the Washington Interfaith Network (WIN) as well as on the Board of Directors of the STEP Foundation and Ephesians Life Ministries. He also teaches at Wesley Theological Seminary in both the Urban Ministry and Practice of Ministry and Mission programs. Pastor Daniels has been called upon for mission service to churches in Zimbabwe and South Africa, providing training for pastors and laity in the area of community development. Instructing groups on establishing neighborhood “Communities of Shalom,” Pastor Daniels’ commitment to a spirit of “peace on earth” is not confined to the Brightwood Community, the city of Washington D.C. or the United States of America. He fully believes that there can be healthy, wholesome, economically stable families and communities all over the world.
As a sought after speaker, preacher, mentor and author, Pastor Daniels is most happy when inspiring and equipping others to see the possibilities God has for them and their communities. To that end he has written two books: Begging for REAL Church in 2009, The Power of REAL in 2011 and Walking with Nehemiah in 2014.
He has been happily married to Madelyn since 1985 and are the blessed and proud parents of two young adults, Joia and Joey.