Leading with faith.Building a legacy.
Bishop Donald Hilliard, Jr., D.Min.
For more than four decades, Bishop Hilliard has said yes to the Lord — as senior pastor of Cathedral International, author of fourteen books, painter, and a trusted voice of vision, empowerment, and transformation.
International
Books
in New Jersey
Bishop
A Life of Yes
Forty years of ministry began with a single, wholehearted answer.
Ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1978 and consecrated a bishop in 1995, Donald Hilliard, Jr. has given his life to one continuing act of obedience — a willingness to say “Yes!” to the Lord. That yes carried a historic Perth Amboy congregation into exponential growth, recognized by the American Baptist Churches, USA as a model for church expansion. It filled fourteen books. It built institutions of mercy and education. And, in a season when most leaders slow down, it picked up a paintbrush.
What follows is not a résumé but a legacy — one man's testimony that a life fully surrendered can preach, publish, build, and create far beyond a single pulpit.
One Calling, Many Vessels
The four callings of a singular life
The Pastor
Four decades of shepherding Cathedral International across four New Jersey locations, with worship reaching thousands of homes around the world by livestream.
Explore the ministry II.The Author
Fourteen books on faith, resilience, leadership, and restoration — from Stop the Funeral to 55 and Counting — alongside years of contribution to the African American Pulpit.
Browse the books III.The Artist
Bold, textured abstract paintings carrying the same message as his preaching — hope, resilience, and the beauty of the human spirit — exhibited from New Jersey to Martha's Vineyard.
Enter the gallery IV.The Voice
A sought-after preacher and speaker for conferences, congregations, and civic gatherings — including consecutive years at the historic Hampton Ministers Conference.
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The Ministry
A historic church with a global reach
Under Bishop Hilliard's leadership, Cathedral International — The Historic Second Baptist Church — has grown from one Perth Amboy congregation into a ministry of four locations, with campuses in Perth Amboy, Asbury Park, and South Plainfield, and the Spanish-language Iglesia Catedral.
Powerful worship, community outreach through the Cathedral Community Development Corporation, and services streamed into thousands of homes across the globe continue a legacy of vision, empowerment, and transformation.
A ministry of vision, empowerment, and transformation — built on a willingness to say Yes! to the Lord.Donald Hilliard Ministries
The Author
Fourteen books. One steadfast message of hope.
From resurrection out of shame and grief to fatherhood, leadership, and church growth from an African American perspective, Bishop Hilliard's writing brings pastoral honesty to the questions people actually live with.
From the Pulpit to the Palette
The sermon continues on canvas
Bold color, heavy texture, unguarded joy — Bishop Hilliard's paintings extend his ministry into a new medium, carrying messages of hope, resilience, and the beauty of the human spirit. His work has previously been exhibited at Tucker Contemporary Art and the Mariposa Museum of Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard.
Social Media
“Somebody, say Yes!”
On Instagram
Life and ministry, in frames
@bishop_hilliard
Partner With the Work
Sow into a ministry that keeps saying yes
Your generosity sustains the preaching, outreach, and community development that have marked this ministry for more than forty years.