Pastor of the Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church.

The Reverend Doctor Kevin D. Barnes, Sr. was born and raised in Donaldsonville, Louisiana.  He is married to the lovely Brenda Barnes and is the father of three sons, Kevin Jr., Keith, and Kenneth Barnes, and grandfather of five.

Dr. Barnes received his license to preach in 1986, attended Bay City Bible Institute, and the Sacramento Theological Seminary Bible College where he received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D.  He was elected Pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church of Oakland, CA in January 1992.  Since being elected Pastor his primary focus is saving souls and changing lives.  He is faithful and understanding of the flock, and is like the Prophet Nehemiah is a strong leader, a man of character, persistent, prayerful, a brilliant planner, organizer, and motivator.  He is a genuinely humble servant of God and a passionate believer who is thoughtful, willing to listen, learn and to share his knowledge with others.  Dr. Barnes has a unique ability to train and teach the children of God, and is a living testimony and inspiration to all for what the Lord can do in our lives.

He ensures that the church congregation has a well-rounded biblical and spiritual foundation.  Almost all of us within the church have been in church most of our lives but never have we been taught in such practical and indepth methods to understand the meaning behind the words.  He has taught us to look at the history in which these verses were written, depend on the Holy Spirit to take us through the words and references, to ask questions of the Holy Spirit and expect answers because we love, we seek, and we yearn and we love Him who breathed the words of the Bible.

Dr. Barnes has spearheaded the feeding ministry in his church community for over 16 years.  He has been a part of the Pastors of Oakland organization, worked with local pastors, city officials, and other local businesses to help improve family and community relationships. Dr. Barnes is the author of Successfully Raising Young Black Men, which has made the Amazon.com Bestsellers List.  Successfully Raising Young Black Men is available wherever fine books are sold, including www.TorchLegacy.com, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and booksamillion.com.  The audio version of Successfully Raising Young Black Men was released October 2009.  Dr. Barnes’ new book Successfully Raising Grandchildren that he co-authored with his wife Brenda Barnes was released November 2010.  Additionally, he has authored two more books, one in 2013 and one in 2014 entitled How to Survive and Thrive In Times Like These, Volumes 1 and 2.

He continues to conduct workshops at schools, churches and other organizations.  He is actively involved in helping to encourage father and son relationships, and improve family relationships throughout the community.  He cares about the whole family, and teaches that nurturing our young boys and men helps produce positive young black men, which is the key to strengthening our neighborhoods and families.

BOOKS AUTHORED BY DR. KEVIN D. BARNES, SR.

• Successfully Raising Young Black Men

• Successfully Raising Grandchildren

• How To Survive and Thrive In Times Like These, Volume 1

• How To Surive and Thrive In Times Like These, Volume 2