Rev. Dr. Danielle Ayers

About Pastor Ayers

Rev. Dr. Danielle Ayers, a scholarvisit, policy and program strategist, national consultant, international justice advocate, author, content creator, and ordained clergy, holds a significant role as the Pastor of Justice at Friendship-West (Dallas, TX), a position of leadership and influence in the community, pastored by Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III.Rev. Ayers leads the church’s public policy efforts, legislative agendas, and justice initiatives. Through spiritual formation, Christian education, and various trainings, she prepares the congregation and community to mobilize and organize around critical issues of economic, food, gender, and environmental justice. Ayers also gives leadership to FW’s Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program legal clinic, racial justice work, various civic engagement initiatives, and the immigration/southern Texas border crisis. Ayers provides advocacy and organizing training, preparing the congregation to live their faith in public life to address systemic and systematic racism in institutions and social structures. She is also the host and content creator of Fannie Lou’s Classroom, a podcast dedicated to facilitating conversations at the intersection of race, theology, and public life.

Additionally, Ayers specializes in developing comprehensive justice initiatives to foster inclusivity and equity. Her approach is deeply rooted in understanding the unique needs of each community, ensuring that initiatives are both impactful and sustainable. By leveraging her extensive experience in advocacy and activism, she helps churches and organizations navigate the complexities of social justice work effectively.

As a consultant, Rev. Ayers plays a crucial role in facilitating sessions at churches nationwide, offering practical tools to decolonize state-side and international mission trips and construct justice ministries. She also conducts racial justice workshops and leads cohorts in creating and implementing actions that transform relationships across racial lines, leading to spiritual and social change. Additionally, she offers strategic planning for faith-based organizations and churches, helping them to align their missions with justice-oriented goals.

As the Pastor of Justice, Ayers builds strong coalitions and develops partnerships with like-minded individuals and organizations seeking a just and equitable society. Rev. Ayers serves as the Co-convener of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc.,  and a delegate to the Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race. Ayers also serves as a board member on the following boards: Southern Sector Rising and the Faith Cooperative Federal Credit Union, and a former board member of Texas Impact, Faith In Texas, and President Jimmy Carter’s New Baptist Covenant.

Rev. Ayers’s dedication to justice work is unwavering. She imparts theoretical and practical teachings that empower individuals to take actionable steps to engage with political systems, from municipalities to the federal government. Her holistic approach ensures that these efforts are not only spiritually enriching but also socially transformative. Her courage, commitment, and consistent work for justice have been recognized through several awards and accolades.  

Rev. Ayers holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from The University of Memphis, a Master of Divinity from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University, and a Doctorate of Ministry from Southern Methodist University Perkins School of Theology, where she was a Baugh Scholar. As is also a former  Better Together Fellow at the King Center in Atlanta, GA.  Rev. Ayers is the co-author of To Serve This Present Age: Social Justice Ministries in the Black Church and Reimagining the Bible Belt.  She has written peer-reviewed papers: America, Your Prescription is Ready, and It Starts in the Mind: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Call to Move from Transactional Conformist to Transformed Nonconformist. Ayers is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

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