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Rev. Dr. Maurice A. Bates, Senior Pastor
Rev. Dr. Maurice Anthony Bates has faithfully served as the Senior Pastor of the Mount Zion Baptist Church of Pittsburg, California for over 36 years. Pastor Bates
started preaching under Rev. Dr. Lester L. Cannon, Sr. at the Morning Star Baptist Church of Oakland, at the tender age of 14 years old and continued his spiritual
development under the pastoral leadership of Pastor Cannon at the Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church of Oakland, CA.
His formal academic training has come through his undergraduate work at the California Baptist University in Riverside, California, and his continued studies at
the Faith Seminary in Tacoma, Washington. In August of 2012, Pastor Bates became a recipient of an honorary doctorate degree from the Next Dimension Bible University and Seminary in Ontario, California.
Pastor Bates has continued to be very active in the Christian community, both home and abroad. He currently serves as the Executive Director and Moderator of the FNCN (an associate of churches committed to the Great Commission.) He is the former Dean of Christian Education for the California Missionary Baptist State Convention. He has also served as the former president of I.M.A.P. - International Ministerial Alliance of East Contra Costa.
His gift of teaching and his practical Biblical approach to God’s Word, has made him a sought- after lecturer for Stewardship Training. He is presently a Core Facilitator at the W.H.W. Ministries, Inc. conference on Expository preaching and teaching. His preaching and teaching style has opened many doors for him to serve the Body of Christ. This commissioned and committed servant of the Lord is driven and directed by the Word of God. He has a genuine heart for the lost and a deep concern for the spiritual growth of those whom he has been given an
opportunity to minister to and through his teachings.
Pastor Bates is a native of Oakland, CA. He is the son of the late Percy Van Bates Jr., and the late Geraldine Bates. As some of you may know, he was raised by his grandparents, the late Deacon Percy V. Bates Sr. and his grandmother, the late Dorothy M. Bates. He is the big brother of Doretha Yvette Bates. He is the very
proud husband of Mrs. Mavis Evette Bates, and together they are the proud parents of two beautiful children: Morgan Alexis Bates and Marc Anthony Van Bates, and serves as the guardians of their 14 year old cousin, Josiah Bates.
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