the way leadership

The Way Christian Center is blessed to have a leadership team who are truly dedicated to Christ and accomplishing His will. Get to know who God has called to lead our church below.

Pastoral leadership

  • Pastor Mike is a San Francisco native who loves all things California – The 49ers, Lakers and Giants. He majored in Addiction Studies and Counseling at Bethany College before completing seminary at Duke University where he earned a Master of Divinity.

    God led him back to the Bay Area where he planted The Way Christian Center in 2005. He immersed himself in the local community by directing Black Campus Ministries at Cal and heading student support services at B-Tech continuation high school in Berkeley.

    In March 2012, he became the Director of the LIVE FREE Campaign with the Faith In Action national network, a campaign led by hundreds of faith congregations throughout the United States committed to addressing gun violence and mass incarceration of young people of color.

    He has supported the implementation of Gun violence reduction strategies in over a dozen cities which have achieved 30-40% reductions in gun related shootings and homicides.

    Regarded as a national faith leader, active in the Ferguson uprisings and many subsequent uprisings, he helps bridge, train and support millennials and religious institutions working on racial justice and black liberation.

    He currently serves as Lead Pastor at The Way, Director of the Live Free Campaign, and father to two beautiful daughters, Sarai & Nylah.

  • Pastor Tanisha was born and raised in Oakland, CA. She received her B.A. in Communications from Biola University and played basketball and ran track in both high school and college.

    She is the founder of Collabheration, LLC, which heads an after school program called Black Girls United, promoting solidarity among Black girls on school campuses in the Berkeley School District.

    She is married to comedian J-Red and has three children: Tommy, Timmy and Jadyn and a grandson, Josiah. She loves playing sports, singing loudly in her car and having great conversations over a good cup of coffee. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Divinity at Payne Theological Seminary and serves as Campus Pastor at The Way.

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM

  • Minister Michael Carpenter

    DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION & FACILITIES

  • LAUREN ADAMS

    DIRECTOR OF WORSHIP

  • Joe Douglass

    DIRECTOR OF WORSHIP

  • Minister Yolanda Pearl

    EXECUTIVE TEAM MEMBER

  • ANTON BURRELL

    DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

  • samuelu veu

    EXECUTIVE TEAM MEMBER

  • Porsche Veu

    ADMINISTRATION & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

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