Our Pastor

Dr. Jamison Hunter

Born in Austin, Texas, and raised in Port Arthur, Texas, Dr. Jamison Douglas Hytche Hunter brings both education and experience to the occasion of ministry and preaching assignment. Since he was a teenager, he has championed the gospel message with great joy and passion and distinguished himself as one who is truly committed to the rigors of continuing education and academic excellence.

Dr. Hunter studied at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD, to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Master of Divinity from Howard University School of Divinity, Washington, DC, and completed a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary, Dayton, OH.

Dr. Hunter is a 2013 inductee of the distinguished Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College. Dr. Hunter is the author of “Beyond the Walls: Transforming Worshippers to Witnesses.” He served as the youngest doctoral mentor to the Gardner C. Taylor Scholars from January 2013 to August 2019—a confab of doctoral candidates whose focus centered on prophetic leadership, social justice, and political action. With a love for academia, Dr. Hunter currently co-leads another cohort of doctoral students who focus on Preaching and Leadership for Small to Mid-Size Congregations.

With an overwhelming call to serve and lead, Dr. Hunter began his pastoral ministry at the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Dayton, Ohio, as their 6th Pastor in November 2009. Under the power of God, He was used to effect fresh energy, trail-blazing initiatives, ministry implementations, and notable growth in this traditional church context. Dr. Hunter’s leadership led the church in an internal campaign to liquidate the $600,000 balance owed on the multi-purpose facility. Most notably, a 2.2-million-dollar project was completed for a newly constructed worship and youth center and total renovation of the original sanctuary into administrative offices, all for the glory of God. Doctor Hunter served Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church until his resignation in 2020.

In July 2020, Dr. Hunter was called to be the 8th Pastor of the Mount Jezreel Baptist Church of Silver Spring, Maryland. Amidst the COVID pandemic, Pastor Hunter faced the major undertaking of redesigning the pulpit and sanctuary, which included adding a baptismal pool, cameras, lighting, media equipment, and upgraded sound system to transform the worship experience to best accommodate and connect in-person participants with virtual viewership. Pastor Hunter has taken Mount Jezreel into the world of technology and streaming by implementing various media platforms to share the Word of God. Under the dynamic leadership of Pastor Hunter, Mount Jezreel is experiencing disciple growth. In response to the growing needs of the membership, the Divorce Care and Rachel’s Circle (ministers to women experiencing the loss of children) Ministries were formed. Pastor Hunter’s love for the youth has evolved into what is now the E3 Ministry—his vision is to create a safe place where the youth can equip, educate, and empower themselves to be dynamic disciples and leaders of tomorrow.

He is a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, a financial and active member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity (The Boulé), and a silver member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In August 2023, Dr. Hunter was appointed as the Seminary Dean of Maple Springs Baptist Bible College and Seminary in Capitol Heights, MD.

Having been nurtured in a distinguished tradition of Christian servant leaders, Dr. Hunter’s father (Dr. Jimmy D. Hunter) who serves as pastor of the Toliver Chapel Baptist Church in Waco, Texas and his mother (Dr. Pamelia Hunter) who served for over 20 years as Director Center for Assessment at Texas State Technical College in Waco, Texas. His maternal grandfather (the late Dr. William P. Hytche) served with distinction for 28 years as President of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Family is very important to Dr. Hunter. He is married to Dr. Patrice Hunter, and they have three loving children.