Pastor Derrick Johnson

Pastor Derrick Johnson aka Pastor D’ is an agent of change. After being incarcerated for 12 1/2 years, with 6 years on death row, he was highlighted for being the most successful subject of the Department of Corrections Crest Program by the late Peter Jennings on ABC’s World News Tonight and President Clinton’s drug czar, General McCaffey.

Pastor Derrick Johnson is the founder and pastor of Joshua Harvest Church, located in Wilmington, DE, which is the fastest growing church in Delaware, with a youthful, dynamic, diverse, and community active congregation and ministry staff. On January 23, 2010, he was joined in holy matrimony to Lady Michelle Johnson. They have a shared vision of empowering believers through the gospel to be free to worship, to serve, and to grow.

Pastor Derrick Johnson is one of the most sought after speakers/leaders of the youth generation for today’s drug and violence problems that are affecting our communities nationwide. He has been called to speak at numerous churches, facilities and conferences in Easton, Philadelphia and West Chester, PA, North Carolina and throughout Maryland and Delaware.

Initiating a solution to a problem is part of Pastor Johnson’s drive. His natural born leadership and charisma has directed him to affect positive community activism.

• Child Development Community Policing Program-a program addressing the psychological effects of children exposed to violence in their homes, schools and their communities. He was recently recognized by the City of Wilmington and Lt. Governor John C. Carney, along with members of Mayor James Baker’s Hope Commission. This program is effectively changing public policy. (2005)
• He was the creator and founder of the Say That Summit in 2005 for the City of Wilmington and the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League. Over 800 people of various faiths and races peacefully joined together to address the violence and drugs in the community.
• An extension of the healing was the Pastor Johnson and Joshua Harvest Church’s Street Heat Revival in June 2005, focused on stopping the violence and dysfunction within the community. Over 500 people attended each night during the revival, again uniting different faiths, races and ages.
• Creator of The Hood March, a silent march which is held annually, joining hundreds of individuals and organizations from Easton, Chester, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Wilmington, DE taking a stand against negative effects of violence in our communities.
• Due to his effective impact and other effective solutions, he was appointed to statewide cabinet of the Needle Exchange Oversight Committee & a mayoral appointee of the Wilmington Hope Commission, established to address specific needs, desires and realities of the City of Wilmington. The commission was formed to provide social, educational and economic factors that result in violent crimes within the city of Wilmington.
• He created a program called S.O.M.E ©2006, that assist communities in developing a method to address their communities problems.

He has shared the stage on several occasions with Dr. Bill Cosby, Idris Elba, Tiny Lister and other celebrities bringing hope to youth and parents facing the alarming increase of violence in their communities. He is the Co-Founder of the Prison Brake Network which bridges the gap between faith-based entities and penal institutions through education and awareness. He serves on the board of the Kerwin Phillips Foundation. And, most recently, he is the co-founder of the Exhoodus Council, a coalition of leading U.S. anti-crime/anti-violence organizations whose management and leadership are previously incarcerated professionals

Liked to a modern-day Martin Luther King and the “Obama of Wilmington”, he is a court advocate for young men and women facing prison term in the State of Delaware, and is the go-to-person to when it comes to decreasing the violence and gang activities in the City of Wilmington. He has visited prisons across the United States educating inmates on what it takes to successfully re-enter society. He has consulted with the staff of President Barack Obama on several occasions and has addressed the entire Congressional Black Caucus as to ways to decrease the alarming recidivism rate that is plaguing our country.

Pastor D’ is the recipient of various awards including the Homegrown Hero Award bestowed upon him by the Wilmington Metropolitan Urban League; the American Citizen Award from The Omega Psi Phi National Organization; the Hon. Lucien E. Blackwell “Guiding Lights in the Community Award” and others. He is also the current host of the television show, Holla Back with Pastor D’. The show features guest and issues affecting the community. Viewers can call into the show to discuss featured topics.

Pastor Johnson is the proponent that anyone can change their life around despite challenges. He is an advocate for positive community activism to develop positive social changes. Pastor “D” believes that it takes a church to raise a village in order for there to be a healthy community. He continues to write, teach and preach at various churches, institutions and community events.