Pastor Richardson earned his B.A from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA in Business Administration. He graduated with honors with a Master of Divinity from New Brunswick Theological Seminary. Having had his Dissertation project approved, Pastor Richardson is a Doctor of Ministry candidate at New Brunswick with a projected oral defense date of May, 2012.

Pastor Richardson answered the divine call of sharing Christ with the world while a student at Temple. He received his initial training and was licensed under Bishop Troy A. Bronner and co-founded the “Athletic Campus Fellowship” under the Bridge the Gap Campus Ministry.

In 1989 he accepted a ministerial position at the Faith Christian Center Church in Newark, New Jersey, was ordained, and served as Bible Study Teacher and Interim Pastor. He also served as a Volunteer Chaplin at the University of Medicine and Dentistry for several years, and Chaplin of the United Chaplin International Worldwide Outreach, Inc. He completed his internship for ministry at the Bethel Baptist Church, Westfield, NJ where he served as Associate Minister, Youth Advisor, and Sunday School Teacher under the Reverend Kevin Clark.

He currently serves as the Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of South Orange (FBCSO), and is an Adjunct Professor at Essex County College where he teaches Introduction to Sociology as well as Social Problems. Since his time at FBCSO, the ministry has seen significant development and growth. Numerous ministries have been added aimed at carrying out the Divine Mandate to win souls for Christ, strengthen the faith community, and bring a sense of God-Consciousness to the social realities of community and speaking truth to power by developing a public theology.

With his 3-tier ministry focus of Kingdom Building, Spiritual Growth and Maturity, and Leadership Development, over 15 men and women have acknowledged a sense of divine call to ministry, and serve as ordained and lay ministers, including several pastors who rely on Pastor Richardson’s leadership.

His leadership has led to per annum contributions and donations of tens of thousands of dollars towards local, national, and world relief efforts that help minister to others in the fight towards eradicating illiteracy, domestic violence, and poverty, and the spread of the Gospel. As a result, the ministry has helped to build wells, furnish Bibles, books and computers for libraries, provide clothing, and send medical missionaries to several villages in Ghana. FBCSO has donated $10,000 to build a much needed school in Swaziland, Africa, and $10,000 towards Tsunami victims in Africa and South Asia, donations to Lott Carey, United Negro College Fund, Red Cross, Haitian Relief Efforts, Baby Land, South Orange Maplewood Mentors, and a host of others.

Pastor Richardson has sat on several community and ecumenical boards and organizations including “The Peoples Investment Fund for America,” under the leadership of the late Reverend Leon Sullivan, trustee of the “Community Coalition on Race,” “Covenant Ecumenical Fellowship Council” under Bishop Hilliard, trustee of the “Turing the World Upside Down Covenant Fellowship,” “South Orange/ Maplewood Clergy Association,” “Community Leadership Advisory Committee to Superintendent of Schools in South Orange/Maplewood,” trustee of “South Orange/ Maplewood Mentors,” and executive board member of “American Baptist Churches of New Jersey, Essex Association.”

He saw to the creation of a state approved supplemental education tutorial program - Knowledge Is Power Learning Center and the Eternal Light Community Development Corporation which focuses on servicing families, seniors, youth, and the re-entry population.

He is the recipient of the 2000 Phi Delta Kappa, Inc., “Pursuit of Excellence Community Service Award” for his community service, and the 2004 “Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Award” for outstanding community leadership in working with the district to help tackle social problems.

Pastor Richardson is forever united and married to NaDeen Richardson. Together they are the proud parents of Deven, Kayla and Jeremiah Richardson.