Rev. Dr. Dondrea Walker is from Houston, Texas. He earned his B.A. from Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas. A year after graduating, Pastor Walker moved back home to obtain a Masters of Divinity degree from Houston Graduate School of Theology. After the required time off for vocational ministry, Pastor Walker went on to acquire a Doctor of Ministry degree from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, New York. Two weeks after graduating from Colgate, he and his family received the initial invitation to consider pastoring First Baptist Church in Grinnell, Iowa where he served for 5 ½ years.

Pastor Walker brings a broad range of work experience to the pastoral ministry. He worked within the telecommunication industry for 14 years, 10 of which he spent at Verizon Wireless. In addition, he served in many capacities within the church as Sunday school Superintendent, youth pastor, congregational life leader and facilitator of minister’s classes. This range of experience has shaped and informed Pastor Walker’s understanding of ministry, allowing him to guide leaders within the church as well as the community.

While at First Baptist in Grinnell, Pastor Walker also helped to make significant strides to improve the overall health of the church. This transformation likewise led to changes within the community. The church youth group grew from 3 to 4 members up to 25 youth on a given Sunday. Through the shared vision of the church we opened our doors to Galaxy Youth Center and Meals on Wheels/Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging. Pastor Walker has also taught classes on American Religion as well as Religion & Hip Hop for Grinnell College. Further reaching out to the Grinnell community, Pastor Walker became a consultant to facilitate training on cultural sensitivity issues for Grinnell Middle School students.

Pastor Walker is married to Karmen Walker. They have three children: Kayla, Ray and Mya. Kayla lives in Des Moines. The family enjoys finding their place in ministry and using their talents to advance the mission of the church as well as the community.