A native of Greenville, Mississippi, Dr. Williams accepted his call into the pastoral ministry in 1980.  He prepared himself for this undertaking receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Mississippi State University, a Masters of Theology Degree followed by the Doctorate of Ministry from Andersonville Baptist Seminary in Camilla, Georgia and post graduate studies at Memphis Theological Seminary all while fulfilling pastoral duties.   He is a seasoned pastor having pastored five churches. 

 

       Throughout his ministry Dr. Williams has been recognized for various achievements.  He is an accomplished preacher having represented the state of Mississippi preaching at the National Baptist Convention, USA, Incorporated, in 1990 at Los Angeles.  He led the Chapel Hill Missionary Baptist Church to erect a $2 million facility and earned it the distinction of being the largest African American church in the Mississippi Delta; Second Baptist Church purchased property for future expansion that was paid in full at the time of purchase, a computer lab with youth as the target group was created and a mentoring program was implemented under the J.O.S.H.U.A. government project at this church.  Additionally, he led the Oberlin Baptist Church (Raleigh, NC) in laying the foundation for a new worship center triple the size of the original facility.

 

       Dr. Williams’ pastoral ministry comprises both community and convention involvement serving at times as:  vice president, moderator, treasurer, or board member.  Currently, he is a member of the Erie branch of the NAACP and serves on the board of the Robert Benjamin Wiley Community Charter School and on the executive boards of the PA Baptist State Convention and the African American Concerned Clergy of Erie, PA.

 

       A man of letters, Dr. Williams has been the recipient of numerous honors, including being named among the Outstanding Young Men of America (1988, 1998); awarded the key to the city of Clarksdale, Mississippi (1996); cited and honored by the mayor of Clarksdale with a street named in his honor called Williams Cove; and being selected as an Honored Member of the Heritage Registry of “Who’s Who in Religion.”

 

       He has one son, Justin, who resides in .Starkville, Mississippi.

 

       For his philosophy in life, Dr. Williams echoes the writer in Proverbs:  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

       The Rev. Dr. Michael T. Williams was installed on December 11, 2005 as the ninth pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church.  With the Rev. Dr. Allen B. Green, Pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Erie, officiating, over 450 people were in attendance, including the PA Baptist State Convention President, Dr. J. Van Alfred Winsett who drove from Pittsburgh, PA in a snow storm. 

 

       During his short tenure, Pastor Williams has been asked to serve a two year term on the Governor’s Counsel representing the concerns of African Americans in Northwestern Pennsylvania (inducted March 2008); He has been in demand in the Erie community as a guest preacher par excellence; with the support of the congregation, he raised $1600 as part of the Muscular Dystrophy Association “Lock Up” fund raiser; and he has licensed two ministers (Semaj Vanzant, April 29, 2006 and Patrick Lyons, July 31, 2006) and ordained two ministers (Anthony Carlgen and Jeanette Myers, December 10, 2006).