Our Pastor
The Reverend Dr. Mary Whitley Moss is a Biblical scholar, homiletician, preacher, author, and community leader and serves as the seventh pastor of the historic St. Alma Baptist Church of Lakeland, LA. She is the Founder and Executive Director, emerita of Louisiana Area Women in Ministry. Dr. Moss is the Founder and Director of The Southeast Regional Biblical Institute. She is an author who published her first work in 2021, PREACH MOSS. She is known for her commitment to “rightly divide” the Word of God in a way that calls for a response from her hearers and her commitment to community revitalization through relevant and reaching ministries. Dr. Moss’s commitment and work are evidenced in the birthing of The Village Project, which serves underprivileged families in the Eden Park Area, and in organizing a cohort of young pastors and ministers as a part of the Robert Smith Preaching Institute of Beeson Divinity School, Birmingham, AL. Dr. Moss is the 2nd vice president of Louisiana Progressive Baptist Fellowship.
Committed to education, Dr. Moss is the recipient of multiple earned degrees, including a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Master of Divinity Degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, with languages, Hebrew, and Greek, a Doctor of Ministry Degree in
Rev. Dr. Mary Whitley Moss
Biblical Preaching from Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Thus, she became the third African American female awarded a doctorate from Beeson Divinity School. Dr. Moss has a certificate in Expository Preaching from the E. K. Bailey International Preaching Conference. She is a fellow of the Princeton Black Theology and Leadership Institute at Princeton Theological Seminary. Dr. Moss teaches preaching in local Institutes and Churches and has recently served as a preaching professor at Wayland Theological Seminary. She has had the privilege of serving as a professional associate and advisor to doctoral students in various seminaries, including Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio.
Dr. Moss walks humbly in a number of firsts: the first female minister to be ordained at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church; the first female elected to the position of pastor of this traditional Baptist Church and the first female ever installed by the then, 133-year-old Fourth District Baptist Association; the first to have a scholarship (The Dr. Mary Whitley Moss Endowment Scholarship) established at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in New Orleans. Within the history of St. Alma Baptist Church, Dr. Moss is the first to lead this 150-year-old congregation to land ownership (5 acres) and is presently leading in its building project.
Dr. Moss is the recipient of numerous commendations and honors including the establishment of The Dr. Mary Whitley Moss Endowment Scholarship at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary by her graduates at The Southeast Regional Biblical Institute. Dr. Moss is the recipient of The Reverend Mary E. Moody Lifetime Achievement Medal of Honor and The Chancellor’s Legacy Award presented by Wayland Baptist Theological Seminary in recognition of exemplified leadership and service to the perseverance of the Baptist faith and witness. Dr. Moss is a member of the Academy of Homiletics. She served on the Steering Committee for the Dr. Robert Smith, Jr Endowed Scholarship (Beeson Divinity School) and several other Boards. Dr. Moss served on the Baton Rouge Mayor’s inaugural Women’s Commission. She is a board member of the East Baton Rouge Council on Aging.
Dr. Moss and her husband, Carl, have three daughters, one who is now with the Lord, and seven grandchildren. When asked about her journey now, Dr. Moss says that her whole desire is to preach the Word, teach the Word, and live the Word in a way that ushers people into the presence of God.
Preach Moss: When SHE Heard the Call has been birthed out of God's nudging to continue to give voice to my journey as a female in ministry with an emphasis on the preaching ministry. Preaching is who I am, and the calling and giftedness took me by storm.
There are many who have told their story, but each story carries with it a uniqueness that belongs only to the one telling the story. My prayer as I add one more story to the chronicles of stories is that it will help sisters who are on the journey and those who have yet to join the journey of preaching women.