Reverend Timothy McDonald

Rev. Timothy McDonald, III is founder of the African American Ministers Leadership Council and President of the African American Ministers In Action of People for the American Way, and is Senior Pastor of the First Iconium Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, where he has served since 1984. Rev. McDonald has taken First Iconium from 35 members to approximately 1500 members. He served three terms as President of Concerned Black Clergy of Atlanta, an ecumenical consortium of Black and White clergy and laypersons working on behalf of the poor.
Rev. McDonald previously served as Special Assistant for community concerns for Mayor Maynard Jackson. As National Director of Operation Breadbasket and Special Projects for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Rev. McDonald dealt with issues around drugs, economic empowerment, South Africa, Central America, Middle East, homelessness, First Amendment Rights, the Death Penalty, and AIDS. Rev. McDonald has devoted his life to the service of others. He also served for six years as the Full-time Assistant Pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, (Dr. Martin Luther King’s Church).
Among his numerous awards and achievements, Rev. McDonald was chosen as one of the hundred most influential people in Atlanta. He is listed in Who’s Who Among Black Americans, Who’s Who in Religion, and Who’s Who Among Christian Leaders in America. He is the recipient of the Gandhi, King, Ikeda Award given by Morehouse College. This award was also given to President Nelson Mandela, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Bishop DesmondTutu, and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (posthumous). Rev. McDonald is also the recipient of The Liberty Bell Community Service Award, given by the Atlanta Bar Association, and the J. O. Perterson Education Award, given by the Progressive National Baptist Convention. He has been recognized by the Georgia ACLU for exceptional commitment to Justice, Truth and First Amendment Freedoms. He has traveled on peace missions to Japan, London, Nicaraqua, Jerusalem, Jordan, Canada, Italy, Cuba, Mexico, Egypt, West bank, South Africa, Brazil and Central and South America.
Rev. McDonald has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, The Bill O’Reilly Show, Nightline, The National Press Club and is often quoted in USA Today, New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, National Public Radio, and other National Publications.
Rev. McDonald received a B.A. from Berry College in Rome, Ga., and holds a Master of Divinity from Emory University, and has done some work towards a Doctor of Ministry. He is married to Mrs. Shirley (Neal) McDonald, and they are the proud parents of three children: Nikisha, Timothy, IV, and Ebony McDonald.