In her 73-year history Antioch has had only three Pastors; the organizer Rev. Rufus Wilson of 17 years and Rev. John Joseph Rector, Sr. who was pastor for 40 years. In March 1993, upon the passing of Rev. Rector, Co-Pastor E. Thurman Walker became Senior Pastor and is now standing on the shoulders of those great men and with great vision, taking Antioch into the new millennium.

Dr. Walker came to the pastorate with great preparation. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Accounting from Colorado College, a Master of Divinity from the ITC/Morehouse School of Religion, and a Doctor of Ministry Degree from United Teleological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

Upon the death of Pastor Rector and with the move of the Holy Spirit, Pastor Walker assumed the mantle of Senior Pastor of Antioch in March 1993 and served for 16 years as a prophetic leader of this congregation."

Under Dr. Walker's leadership, Antioch has continued to flourish growing to some 3,000 members and tripling her budget. Always a community minded church, Antioch expanded her ministry and service to the community by starting a Christian Academy, developing a corporation, Antioch Community Transformation Network, a non profit organization which provides an alternative means of serving the church and community and undertook a 7.5 million dollar Capital Campaign to construct a state of the art Family Life Education and Community Center Campus.  The campus is to consist of an Education Building (groundbreaking scheduled for June 2010)  for classes, programs and social events along with a sports complex (opened May 2005) featuring an NCAA regulation basketball court, exercise equipment, and theater stage serving as a hub for east side programs and activities.

Dr. Walker has been tremendously civic minded, he chaired the Citywide Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission (1994 & 1995) and was the 2003 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Program Keynote Speaker. He founded YUADAG (Youth United Against Drugs and Gangs), a service that shares and serves some 3,000+ youth during their spring break from school. As Founder and Chairman of the Community of Churches for Social Action (CCSA), a 501(c)(3) non profit organization made up of 30+ interdenominational churches representing over 20,000 members, CCSA provides a prophetic voice, proactive and progressive ministry to the community especially those who have been disenfranchised and often under-represented. Dr. Walker has been awarded numerous affiliations, awards and citations and has conducted conferences and workshops locally and abroad. Dr. Walker has traveled and preached extensively throughout the United States and internationally, which includes a challenging three-week Preaching Mission in Africa. Finally, and moreover, he is a strong man of conscience, commitment and dedication to the teachings of God's Word. Even with his active schedule, he still has time to devote to his wife, Jo Angelia, and their two children, T.J. and Kimberly and two granddaughters, Raizel RayeAnn and