Reverend Dr. John F. White

Senior Pastor
Mount Hermon African Methodist Episcopal Church
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311

Doctor John F. White has distinguished himself throughout the Church and Community as one who is concerned and caring for all of God’s children, the haves and the have-nots. His leadership and organizational styles have overseen explosive growth and transformation of churches throughout his ministry, which has enabled him to create meaningful and innovative ministries and outreach programs for all of God’s people, the haves and the have nots.

Dr. White is a graduate of Carver High School, Delray Beach, Florida.  He is the recipient of a Bachelor of Science Degree from Edward Waters College, Jacksonville, Florida; Master of Education from Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida; Master of Divinity from Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, Georgia; and the Doctorate of Education Degree in Organizational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  In 1984, he successfully completed one unit of C.P.E. (Clinical Pastoral Education) at Baptist Medical Center, Jacksonville, Florida.  He has done further studies at Columbia Theological Seminary and the South Florida Center for Theological Studies.  Dr. White has also served as an educator in the Duval and Palm Beach County School Districts, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Edward Waters College, and the ITC Continuous Education Faculty. He has pastored Churches in Florida and Georgia.  

Since October 2001, Dr. White has been providing spiritual leadership to Mount Hermon AME Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Mount Hermon is experiencing an unusual amount of spiritual growth, as evidenced by its large attendance at Tuesday night Bible Study. Dr. White recently created the Mount Hermon Development Corporation of South Florida, Sons of Allen Men’s Ministry, and the Mount Hermon Summer Camp. Currently he is leading Mount Hermon in the building of 17,000 sq. ft., Family Life /Assembly Hall. The best is yet to come at Mount Hermon under the leadership of Dr. White.

Throughout his ministry, Dr. White has dedicated himself to kingdom building. In 1977, Dr. White led the St. John AME Church of Eatonton, Georgia in the building a new church edifice.  While at Greater Grant Memorial AME Church, Jacksonville, Florida he led the congregation in the burning of the churches mortgage and the building of a new parsonage. During his 13½ - year tenure at Greater Bethel AME Church in Miami, Florida (January 1988 – October 2001), he established the BAME Development Corporation of South Florida, Inc; a Legal Assistance Program in collaboration with St. Thomas University Law School; the Agape Academic Enrichment Center--an after-school tutorial program for children in the Overtown community of the inner city Miami; the Wilbur F. Ellison Scholarship Fund; the Mattie B. Koonce Computer Lab; the Bethel Investment Club; and a new model for Church growth, One Church in Two locations (Silver Lakes Elementary School, Miramar). He also led the Overtown community in building the Jefferson Reaves Health Center and 211 units of tax credit Miami River Apartments.

Dr. White has risen repeatedly to the ranks of leadership, beginning with his election as Student Council President in high school, to his seminary post as student representative to the Trustee Board of the Interdenominational Theological Center, to connectional leadership positions, including member of the General Board, chairman of the Budget Committee of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, delegate to the World Methodist Council and the World Council of Churches.  Dr. White is a former member of the City of Fort Lauderdale Community Redevelopment Agency, the Hospice Foundation of America Advisory Board. Dr. White is currently chairman of the Board of Examiners of the South Annual Conference AME Church and Co-Chair of  BISCA (Broward Interfaith Sponsoring Committee) focusing on Justice issues of Broward County. He is a member of the World Methodist Council Executive Board and is involved in numerous religious, civic and social activities that include membership in the NAACP, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and the Rotary Club of Miami. 

Dr. White has been recently appointed by Governor Charlie Crist to the 25-member Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Blueprint Commission. The group is being convened to address issues in the statewide juvenile justice system including recidivism, minority Overrepresentation and gender-specific responses to the rapid increase in the number of girls entering the system.

Dr. White’s honors include: Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity’s Distinguished Service Award; Outstanding Young Men of America–1983; Delegate to the Fifteenth and Sixteenth World Methodist Conference, Nairobi, Kenya–1986 and Singapore –1991; South Florida Lay Organization’s Pastor of the Year Award–1989; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Religious Leaders Award – 1990; The Algonquin Club Outstanding Citizen Award–1992; The United Teachers of Dade Black Caucus Award – 1993; the King of Clubs of Greater Miami, Inc. Community Service Award – 1994; the Black Episcopalian’s Richard Allen Memorial Award – 1996.

Dr. White was the Guest Lecturer for the 1990 Christian Education Congress in the 17^th and 18^th Episcopal District Zambia (Central Africa) and Swaziland (Southern Africa). He visited Israel in January of 1991 with an interfaith group of clergy from Miami the week before Desert Storm.  In 1993 he visited Seoul, Korea, where he preached in a Methodist Church of Korea with more than 70,000 members.  In April of 1994 he traveled to Cape Town, Johannesburg and Soweto, South Africa, as well as Victoria Falls, one of the “Seven Wonders of the World.”

He and his wife, Penny, a native of Tallahassee, Florida, are the proud parents of five lovely adult children: Tenner, John II, Byron, Candace and Alfred. They have three daughters-in-law, one son-in-law and five grandchildren, Erica, Dwayne, Alisha, Kya and John III.