Rev. Dr. Valerie Miles-Tribble
Dr. Valerie is Professor of Ministerial Leadership and Practical Theology at BST. Valerie engages liberation theology as a womanist scholar, practical theologian, and community activist pastor to raise critical awareness of systemic oppressions. As the 2021 GTU Distinguished Faculty Lecturer, Valerie holds dual GTU department alignment in Theology & Ethics and Religion & Practice to integrate theoethics with intersections of social justice praxis in church and society for restorative public approaches. In addition to several journal publications and book chapter contributions, she authored the monograph, Change Agent Church in Black Lives Matter Times: Urgency for Action. Valerie is the Interim Pastor at Faith Church in Oakland, California.
Doctor of Ministry, 2021
Rev. Dr. Hakizimana “Appolo” Appolinaire
Rev. Dr. Hakizimana “Appolo” Appolinaire is BST’s 2024-25 Alum of the Year! Dr. Appolinaire serves as a Country Director of Scripture Union Rwanda, and Pastor in the Anglican Church of Rwanda, Diocese of Karongi. From 2019- 2020, he served as Professional Chaplain, in University of California, San Francisco’s hospital. From 2019- 2022, he was a deputy Regal Representative of the Anglican Church, Gahini Diocese. From 2003 – 2010, Dr. Appolinaire served as Executive Secretary of World mission frontiers in Tanzania, Africa, and as a Pastor of Rukara Parish in the Anglican Church from (2000 – 2003). He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Berkeley School of Theology, two Masters’ degrees, one from Wyclif University, and the other from Berkeley School of Theology, and a Bachelor’s degree in Theology from Tanga, Tanzania. Appolinaire is married to Mukarwego Esperance, with three sons. He received vision to build East Africa Community Healing when he was working in the UCSF hospital where he was working as a professional Chaplain, after understanding how much people are suffering in the hospital physical, mental, and spiritual disease. He wishes to see no one suffering alone, He hopes that through the Community Healing Center project, people will learn how to support each other during someone’s suffering.
Honorary Doctorate, 2007
Rev. Dr. H. James “Jim” Hopkins
Rev. Dr. H. James “Jim” Hopkins is retiring after serving as Senior Pastor at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church since 1989! Rev. Dr. Hopkins earned his Master of Divinity in 1983 and received an honorary doctorate in 2007 from Berkeley School of Theology.
Additionally, he served on BST’s Board of Trustees from 2007 – 2015. For 37 years, Pastor Jim served LABC as a preacher, teacher, and writer, offering pastoral care and leadership. Pastor Jim also serves as Pastor of LABC’s partner church, Oakland First Baptist Church. His dedication to his congregation and the wider community is a core part of his calling. In addition to his pastoral duties, he has held several key leadership positions, including President of the Lakeshore Avenue Business Improvement District, President of the American Baptist Ministers Council of Northern California, Co-Chair of the Faith In Action East Bay Board, Vice President of the Interfaith Council of Alameda County, faith leader in the Oakland Ceasefire Partnership, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. Before his tenure at LABC, Pastor Jim served as the Associate Pastor of The First Baptist Church of Los Angeles. Please join us in celebrating Pastor Jim’s retirement and his decades of dedicated service and leadership!
Doctor of Ministry, 2014
Rev. Dr. Barbara Jim-George
Congratulations Rev. Dr. Barbara Jim-George, classes of 2010 (M.Div.) and 2014 (D.Min.)! Dr. Jim-George was recently elected as Assistant Dean of the Congress of Christian Education at the Progressive National Baptist Convention’s Southwest Region’s conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dr. Jim-George serves as Executive Pastor for the True Faith Community Baptist Church in Antioch, California, and is Dean of the Ministers and Lay Leaders Development Institute. Previously, Dr. Jim-George lead Transforming Ministries Group, a 501 (C)(3) nonprofit organization that taught girls aged 11-16 on methods to avoid human trafficking entrapments; and consulted congregations and faith-based organization leaders on forming faith responses to human trafficking of children in their congregations and communities. She has served at all three board levels for the American Baptist Churches, USA Ministers Council, and graduated with honors and awards for both of her degrees from BST.
Rev. Michael-Ray Mathews
Michael is president of the Alliance of Baptists and Deputy Director for Faith in Action, formerly PICO National Network, a national community organizing network that gives people of faith the tools that they need to fight for justice and work towards a more equitable society. Michael is a senior fellow at Auburn Seminary and affiliate faculty at BST.
Master of Community Leadership, 2011
Doctor of Ministry, 2024
Rev. Dr. Michael A. Smith
Michael has been Pastor of the McGee Avenue Baptist Church in Berkeley California for 18 years. In 2014, he became the founding Executive Director of The Center for Food, Faith & Justice which serves as a faith-based non-profit arm of the church as a lead organization dedicated to the issues of environmental and food justice, health equity and economic development. His DMin dissertation topic was The Black Earth Theology Project: Toward Reconciliation and Care of God’s Creation.
