The Reverend Doctor John Richard Walton, Jr. is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and has served as the senior pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church of Milwaukee for the last 16 years.
Pastor Walton earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Cleveland State University, Master of Divinity degree from Howard University, Washington, D.C., and his Doctor of Ministry degree from the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois in the area of Leadership through Preaching. His area of research focuses on how to effectively minister to historic and intergenerational churches in this new era – honoring the past, yet walking into the future. Recently, Dr. Walton completed his Certification as a Spiritual Director and Life Coach and provides soul care primarily to senior pastors and their families.
Pastor Walton has been an active part of every community where God has planted him throughout his 26 year ministry career. In Washington, D.C., as a seminarian, he served on the committee that assisted in the compilation of the readings in the African-American Heritage Hymnal, and was Assistant to the Senior Pastor of the historic Israel Baptist Church. In Boston, as Pastor of St. Mark Congregational Church, he was an active participant in the Black Ministerial Alliance. In Wisconsin, he is past member and Moderator of the Commission on the Ministry for the American Baptist Churches. In addition, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Milwaukee Christian Center. Currently, Rev. Walton serves as a Minister at Large of the Minister’s Council of the American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin, Past Chairman of Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Oversight Committee for United Way of Greater Milwaukee, and is Vice President of the Board of Housing Ministries of the American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin.
In addition, Pastor Walton is well-respected and sought after as preacher, pastor to pastors, lecturer, and spiritual, biblical, and academic authority in the training and discipleship of deacons and church leadership.
Dr. Walton has been happily married to the former Lorrie Grace Craig of Hyattsville, Maryland for over 22 years. They are the proud parents of four children.