Our Pastor

Church and Community have always been the staples of the ministry of Dr. Vernon C. Walton. Dr. Walton, a native of Jersey City, New Jersey, has served as Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Vienna, Virginia, since February, 2014. He is the 19th Senior Pastor in the history of this 154-year–old congregation.

Dr. Walton’s primary mission is to “make a difference in our community and be a light of hope for the World.” His charismatic, energetic and innovative leadership is leading the congregation of First Baptist into a season where they are “Empowered by the Past and Excited About the Future.” As a result of his leadership, First Baptist has increased its community engagement and missions opportunities and has strengthened the capacity of its 33 ministries, making a difference in the lives of those within and outside of the church.

During his tenure at First Baptist, Dr. Walton has focused much of his ministry efforts on missions, cultural awareness and social justice. Under his leadership, First Baptist Vienna has been on the forefront, helping to ensure that the needs of the county’s marginalized communities are addressed by implementing programming geared toward education and justice such as the annual Juneteenth Celebration and Justice and Legislative Sunday. First Baptist also partners with area elementary schools and community partners to provide tutoring, Thanksgiving meals, and Christmas presents for students and families. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the church distributed over 25,000 boxes of food throughout Northern Virginia and held multiple vaccine clinics delivering over 3000 vaccinations. First Baptist has also provided meals to nearly 1 million food insecure people around the world by partnering with Rise Against Hunger and hosting meal packaging events. He also initiated “Be the Church Sundays” which serve as opportunities for church members to go outside the walls of the church to serve others throughout Northern Virginia. Dr. Walton continues to create partnerships with local community organizations and leaders to better serve those in need. With Dr. Walton at the forefront, the church continues to address evolving community needs and be a voice of justice and hope.

Dr. Walton was licensed to preach in 1989 and ordained in 1993 by the Salem Baptist Church, Jersey City, under the Pastorate of the late Reverend Dr. H. Hudson Bobbitt. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology & Criminal Justice from Virginia Union University (1993); his Master of Divinity Degree from New York Theological Seminary (1997) and a Doctorate of Ministry Degree in Preaching and Leadership from United Theological Seminary of Dayton, Ohio in December 2003.

Dr. Walton previously served as Minister of Youth at the St. James Baptist Church of Milford, Virginia. He later joined Mount Olive Baptist Church of Hackensack, New Jersey, as Youth Pastor and later was called to serve there as Assistant Pastor under the leadership of the Reverend Gregory J. Jackson. In 1998, Rev. Walton became the fourth Senior Pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church of Englewood, New Jersey. Under his leadership, Mount Calvary expanded its witness through membership growth, multiple staff development initiatives, the addition of multiple worship services and the formation of Calvary Cares Community Development Corporation, which ministered to the needs of the entire community.

No stranger to public service, Dr. Walton was elected Councilman for the City of Englewood, NJ (2004-2006) and was also elected as the first and only African American to serve as Freeholder (Commissioner) for the Bergen County, NJ (2008). In addition, he was a founding Board Member for the 1st Bergen Federal Credit Union and Past Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ramapo College, Mahwah, New Jersey. Most recently, he has served on the Chairman’s Task Force on Equity and Opportunity in Fairfax County, chairing the Public Safety Committee, and is a founding member of Voices of Black Fairfax. He currently serves as Vice Chairman of the board for the Leland Center for Theological Studies and on the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc. He also serves on Fairfax County’s Affordable Housing Advisory Council, the Police Reform Task Force, and the Fairfax County Public Schools Strategic Planning Team.

Dr. Walton released his first book, Life Lessons: Living, Learning & Trusting God. He has been honored by two national publications: The Network Journal, as one of the “40 under Forty” Class of 2010 and The African American Pulpit Journal, as one of the “Twenty to Watch under Forty,” Spring 2005. Dr. Walton is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and loves his role as preacher and teacher.