The Most Rev. Dr. Will Boyd serves as the presiding Bishop of Zion Ministries, pastor of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church—a 165-year-old church in Florence, Alabama,  the  chancellor  of  St.  James  The  Elder  University,  and  the  patriarch  of  the  Holy  Catholic  Church  International.   

Boyd is a former assistant adjunct professor and Dean of Student Success. He was the first African American elected to the office of City Councilman in Greenville, Illinois.   In  2022,  Boyd  became  the  first  African  American  nominee  for  U.S.  Senate  in  Alabama.    Boyd  was  also a  nominee for lieutenant  governor  of  Alabama  in  2018  and  a  nominee for  U.S. Representative of Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District  in  2016.

Life and early career

Boyd was born in Florence, South Carolina. He graduated from Mayo High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering at the University of South Carolina.  He later earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Regis University, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Religion from Christian Bible College, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Organization and Management from Capella University, and a Doctor of Psychology with a Christian worldview (PsyD) from St. James The Elder  Theological  Seminary.   Boyd received honorary doctorates in Divinity and Christian Counseling before being awarded a diplomate in Traumatology from St. James the Elder Theological  Seminary whose President was the late and well-respected psychologist Dr. Heyward Ewart. 

Boyd served as the local chapter President of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) while at the University of South Carolina, an Engineering Student Assistant at South Carolina Electric and Gas, Company, and a South Carolina House of Representative Page to Former State Representative Denny Neilson (D). 

Before transitioning into “full-time ministry” and public service, Boyd worked in the United States and The People’s Republic of China, serving as a Manufacturing Engineer, Production Manager, and Quality Manager A.O. Smith Water Products Company, Fedders Corporation, and International Filter Manufacturing.

Boyd is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated and served in several offices in his local chapter, including Keeper of Records and Seal, Vice Basileus, and Basileus.  

Boyd is a consecrated  patriarch  and International presiding prelate with oversight of churches around the world.  Prior to receiving the rank of patriarch, Boyd was elevated to the rank of metropolitan archbishop and then cardinal bishop.  He  was consecrated into these ecclesiastical offices by the late Patriarch Paul (former head of the Holy Catholic Church International)--placing him in apostolic succession which traces Boyd's bishopric back to the original apostles of Jesus Christ.  

Boyd also served on a number of boards in Illinois and Alabama which include the Board of Directors for the Health Care Authority of Lauderdale County and the City of Florence, Alabama.

Boyd’s higher education experience includes serving as Dean of Student Success & Adjunct Assistant Professor of Management at Greenville College and Chancellor at St. James the Elder University. He published three books entitled: Scratching the Surface; Can You Hear Me Now? How Active Listening and Continuous Articulation of Core Values Can Improve Leadership Effectiveness in Any Organization, Even the Church; and Watch God!

The Most Rev. Dr. Will Boyd is married to Vida Boyd.  They have three children and reside in Hoover  and  Florence, Alabama.