Campaign announcement video
Watch the Vision Come Alive
The Platform
Serving Progressive to a T
Five bold commitments that will define a new season of Progressive leadership:
Team-Centered Leadership
Building synergy with the next President and 1st Vice President to advance a unified, collaborative vision.
Transparency
Delivering honest, accountable governance that honors the trust our convention places in its leaders and improves collaboration between State Conventions, Regions, and the National Office.
Theological Education
Connecting clergy and laity to seminary resources and continuing education through Union Theological Seminary.
Transformative Justice
Reinvigorating Progressive's DNA as a prophetic social justice movement in an era of racist authoritarianism.
Thriving Fund Development
Expanding capacity through strategic partnerships that build capital for our convention's mission, including work on the regional, state, and local level.
From the Candidate
A Letter to the Progressive Family
Progressive Family,
I am Willie Dwayne Francois III, Senior Pastor of Fountain Baptist Church in Summit, NJ. I am running for 2nd Vice-President of the Progressive National Baptist Convention.
I was mentored by our 12th President, Rev. Dr. J. Alfred Smith, and our 14th President, Rev. Dr. Charles G. Adams. We are a convention that has as many dreams as memories. My holy pride in our present work of Progressive fuels my eagerness to help grow our movement and realize our dreams. While far from the only thing we do well at Progressive, social justice courses through our denominational vein. This moment of racist authoritarianism and xenophobic terror summons us to reinvigorate those genes further.
As social justice co-chair for the past five years, I supported our leadership in responding to countless national and international crises, hosted educational opportunities on urgent issues for our convention, created resources used by several denominations and interdenominational bodies, and represented us in halls of power. I helped broker our historic relationship with the AFL-CIO, which resourced PNBC for midterm election turnout in battleground states and allowed me to lead the first-of-its-kind national Economic Justice summit, in which PNBC convened senior leaders from seven denominations and labor unions.
I am proud that our late 21st President, Dr. Timothy Stewart, appointed me to this role, and our courageous 22nd President, Dr. David Peoples, permitted me to continue in the same role in his administration. Therefore, I’ve worked with and taken direction from Drs. Byrd and Thompson, and will add to their leadership synergy and vision actualization.
Since 2020, I have served the North American Baptist Fellowship as a VP or an Executive Committee member, centering the PNBC voice and values in the World Baptist Alliance.
As an associate professor of theology at Union Theological Seminary, the home of liberation theology, I can help the next president connect lay persons and clergy to seminary resources and continuing education.
Likewise, we all know good work requires resources, especially when evil seems so well-funded. I bring relationships that can expand capacity. My connection to BlueSky Collaborative Partners and its sustainable communities initiative will open new opportunities to build capital to scale and proliferate our work. We can tool and reinvest in our regions, state conventions, and local churches while we change the world, again.
I want to build the dream with our next President and 1st Vice-President. I want to build the dream with you. I want to change the world with you.
Sincerely,
Mentored by Giants
Rev. Dr. J. Alfred Smith
12th President, PNBC
Rev. Dr. Charles G. Adams
14th President, PNBC
Appointed By
Dr. Timothy Stewart
21st President, PNBC
Dr. David Peoples
22nd President, PNBC
Home Church
Fountain Baptist Church
Summit, New Jersey
Social Justice Leadership
Five Years on the Front Lines
National & International Crisis Response
Supported PNBC leadership in responding to countless urgent crises at home and abroad, ensuring that the Convention's prophetic voice was present wherever justice was at stake.
Educational Programming
Hosted premier educational opportunities on urgent national issues for the Convention, creating resources that were subsequently adopted by multiple denominations and interdenominational bodies across the country.
Representation in Halls of Power
Represented the PNBC before legislators, policymakers, and national leaders; ensuring that our communities' voices were heard where decisions that shape our lives are made.
Historic AFL-CIO Partnership
Brokered PNBC's landmark relationship with the AFL-CIO, resourcing the Convention for midterm election turnout in key battleground states and enabling the first-ever national Economic Justice Summit.
Global Presence
Centering the PNBC Voice in the World
Since 2020, Rev. Dr. Francois has served the North American Baptist Fellowship as a Vice-President and Executive Committee member, consistently carrying the PNBC's voice, values, and vision into the World Baptist Alliance. Progressive has never been a parochial movement, and our 2nd Vice-President must be capable of representing us on the global stage.

World Baptist Alliance
Active representation of PNBC values and priorities within the global Baptist family since 2020.
North American Baptist Fellowship
Serving as VP and Executive Committee member, shaping the regional Baptist agenda that connects to global Baptist witness.
Denominational Diplomacy
Building bridges across denominations through shared commitments to justice, education, and community transformation.
Theological Education
Rooted at Union, Connecting Our Family to Excellence
As an Associate Professor of Theology at Union Theological Seminary, the historic home of liberation theology, Rev. Dr. Francois occupies a seat at one of the most prestigious and prophetically committed institutions of theological learning in the world.
This is not merely an academic credential. It is a doorway. Dr. Francois is uniquely positioned to help the next President connect lay persons and clergy across our Convention to seminary resources, continuing education, and the theological formation that sustains effective ministry in turbulent times.
A well-equipped church is a powerful church. When our pastors and lay leaders grow in knowledge and theological depth, our entire movement rises.

Union Theological Seminary has been a cradle of liberation theology, Black theology, feminist theology, and prophetic witness for more than 185 years. Dr. Francois brings this legacy directly into the service of the PNBC.
Thriving Fund Development
Building the Resources to Match Our Vision
Good work requires resources, especially when injustice seems so well-funded. Rev. Dr. Francois brings a robust network of relationships and partnerships capable of expanding the PNBC's financial capacity and programming reach in ways that are sustainable, strategic, and community-centered.
BlueSky Collaborative Partners
Dr. Francois's connection to BlueSky Collaborative Partners and its multibillion-dollar Sustainable Communities Initiative will open new pathways to build capital, fund innovation, and scale our transformative work.
Regional Reinvestment
Strategic fund development means tooling and reinvesting in our regional conventions, state bodies, and local churches; ensuring resources flow from the top down and the ground up.
Scaling What Works
From justice programming to economic empowerment initiatives, expanded capacity means proven programs reach more people in more communities across the country and beyond.
Join the Movement
Build the Dream With Us
Rev. Dr. Willie D. Francois III is ready to serve, ready to lead with humility, boldness, and a proven track record. The Progressive National Baptist Convention has always been a movement of dreamers who do the work. Now is the time to elect leadership that will carry that legacy into the next generation.
"We are a convention that has as many dreams as memories. My holy pride in our present work of Progressive fuels my eagerness to help grow our movement and realize our dreams."
— Rev. Dr. Willie D. Francois III
Vote Rev. Dr. Willie D. Francois III for 2nd Vice-President of the Progressive National Baptist Convention.