The Rev. William H. Lamar IV is pastor of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., where he has served since 2014. Under his leadership, Metropolitan has expanded its historic witness through community-centered ministry, including the Sankofa Christian Parenting project, a Lilly Endowment-funded initiative rooted in Black faith and cultural traditions.
A native of Macon, Georgia, Rev. Lamar earned a Bachelor of Science in public management from Florida A&M University and a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School. He is a doctoral candidate in African American preaching and sacred rhetoric at Christian Theological Seminary.
Previously, Rev. Lamar served congregations in Florida and Maryland and was managing director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity School, working with national denominational leaders. He is founding board chair of the Just Power Alliance and has collaborated with the Poor People’s Campaign, Repairers of the Breach, and other justice organizations.
Rev. Lamar’s writing has appeared in major publications, including The Washington Post, where his op-ed following a white supremacist attack on his church helped lead to a $3 million judgment. His first book, Ancestors: The Names That Bless Us, Curse Us, and Hold Us, will be published by Broadleaf Books in 2025. He is married to Dr. Dana A. Williams.