Pastor Michael S. Williams is a native of San Francisco, California. He is a product of San Francisco's public school system. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree, 'cum laude', from Bishop College, formerly of Dallas, Texas, in 1976. He earned the Masters of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from the world-renowned Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California, in 1979 and 1996 respectively. He served as the Assistant to the President of the Graduate Theological Union from 1996-1997 and holds dual membership with the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature. He also belongs to the Middle East Studies Association of North America. Pastor Williams holds the rank of Professor of Biblical Studies and Vice President for Development at the Southern Marin Bible Institute. Pastor Williams has been in parish ministry for over a quarter century. He is a respected leader within his denomination, the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., and has served in a variety of pastoral and staff positions within the United Methodist Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the National Baptist Convention of America, and the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. He currently serves as Pastor of the Saint James Missionary Baptist Church of San Francisco, and Moderator of the Bay Area Baptist District Association. Pastor Williams is married to the former Patricia A. Andrews. They are the parents of two children, Martha and Timothy.