Pastor Kevin
A visionary leader, believer, and builder, Dr. Kevin R. Johnson is a proven executive in transforming organizations into innovative, high-performing, fiscally-sound, and pioneering institutions.
Committed to holistic community development, Dr. Johnson is the founding Lead Pastor of Dare to Imagine Church, Inc. In seven years, he has built a ministry that started with 20 people in his home and has grown into a congregation over 1,500 members on a $2.2 million, 6.8-acre campus in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. To date, the church has donated over $750,000 to support area organizations that provide services for citizens in need. Dr. Johnson also serves as the founder and President & CEO of Dare to Imagine Community Development Corporation. Prior to his current positions, he served as President & CEO of Bridge of Hope Community Development Corporation that, with The Goldenberg Group, built a $100 million, 14-story student apartment tower for Temple University.
He is a nationally-known speaker who regularly delivers messages of inspiration. He has delivered speeches in distinguished arenas including the largest Protestant church in the world, Yoido Full Gospel Church, Seoul, South Korea. Dr. Johnson was also the first African-American in 200 years to speak at Africa’s oldest Baptist church, Regent Road Baptist
in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and later was inspired to raise funds, build, and establish a new church in West Africa— “Bright Hope Baptist Church in Moyamba, Sierra Leone.” Additionally, by invitation of the American Jewish Committee, Dr. Johnson traveled to Israel and Palestine and met government leaders to discuss the challenges that exist between the
nations. An avid and respected writer, he is a frequent columnist for the oldest continually-running African-American newspaper, The Philadelphia Tribune, and is heard by 400,000 listeners every Sunday morning on WDAS-FM 105.3.
A Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude graduate of Morehouse College, Dr. Johnson was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. and Oprah Winfrey scholarships. He earned a Master of Divinity degree as a Union Scholar from Union Theological Seminary, and later earned the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in Organizational Leadership and Transformational Learning from Columbia University. He is married to Mrs. Kimya S. P. Johnson, Esq., a corporate diversity professional and employment attorney. They are Philadelphia residents and are proud parents of three children—a son at Morehouse College and two daughters in Philadelphia Public Schools.