The Rev. Dr. M. Lamont Littlejohn Jr. Elected First African American Chair of Gardner-Webb Board of Trustees

In his New Role, Pastor, Teacher and Leader will Focus on Transparency, Accountability and Communication

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—The Rev. Dr. M. Lamont Littlejohn Jr., pastor of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Shelby, N.C., is a trailblazer “Pro Deo et Humanitate” (for God and humanity). A three-time graduate of Gardner-Webb and the first African American chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, he approaches each situation with the same mindset.

“What I’m learning to do is embrace every door that’s open and even embrace the doors that are closed,” Littlejohn reflected. “Whatever stage I’m at, whatever door I get to enter into, whatever room I’m sitting in, that’s an opportunity for me to show them God and to glorify Him and put a smile on someone’s face. I just believe that whatever room I’m in, I’m there for a purpose: to help people. That’s my goal. That’s my passion.”

In the last six years, the open doors have led to history-making appointments. In 2019, he became the first African American chair to lead the Cleveland Community College Board of Trustees. In January 2025, he began his term as chair of Gardner-Webb’s Board of Trustees.

The two roles have another similarity. Littlejohn was on the search committee when Cleveland Community hired a new president, and now he will help lead Gardner-Webb’s search for its next president. “That gives me a little experience,” Littlejohn remarked. “I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to go through that search.”

In his role as chair of the Gardner-Webb Board of Trustees, Littlejohn emphasized that his goals will be transparency, accountability and communication. He wants to foster unity among board members and keep them informed about campus, community and University life. He hopes to establish a board retreat, so members can have more time to engage and learn more about the University.

“I think the more you can communicate, have transparency and accountability, if you do well in those areas, you tend to be successful,” he said. “If you don’t do well in those areas, then you have low morale and just confusion. I want to get Gardner-Webb back to understanding our Christian identity. We’re not like other universities. We are not so much very conservative or very liberal. I think we’re moderate.”

Another priority is to make Gardner-Webb a place where faculty and staff are eager to get to work every day. “I don’t want it to feel like a job,” he asserted. “I want to make sure the atmosphere and the environment of the Gardner-Webb campus—from faculty, staff, students, and alumni—is that you know you’re coming back to the family. It’s about community, building those relationships, and showing our students, our faculty, and our staff their value and their meaning. I think I can play a role in bridging some gaps, helping people understand that we can do this together. We want God to be glorified in the Springs.”

Before his service in higher education, Littlejohn made history in 2003 when he became the senior pastor of Shelby’s Mt. Calvary Baptist Church. He was 26 years old with a bachelor’s degree from GWU and following in the footsteps of a ministry giant, Dr. Samuel A. Raper. He had served as Mt. Calvary’s pastor for 35 years and was a civil rights leader. He also served as a city councilman for 25 years. “He was a huge figure, 91-years-old,” Littlejohn related. “I was not trying to fill his shoes but make my own shoes.”

In assuming the role, Littlejohn often felt like Joshua, the young man in the Bible who succeeded Moses and led the Children of Israel into the Promised Land. For the first five years he was at Mt. Calvary, Littlejohn began every Sunday service by honoring God first and then acknowledging Raper, who sat in the first row, as the pastor emeritus. “This new phase of ministry would be a journey,” Littlejohn assessed. “I had to be strong and courageous, but I also had to learn to be patient, to love people, and how to love my predecessor.”

He also knew early on that he needed to increase his knowledge to help his congregation grow in their faith. He went back to school for his master’s when his wife, Nikki, was pregnant with their son, Lamont III, and their daughter, L’mia was 2 years old. Although the time was a blur, he gives God praise for sustaining them.

“I loved learning about the narrative of the Bible and how could I help people through this narrative,” Littlejohn reflected. “It was not me collecting a degree on a wall. Through preaching, through pastoring, I knew I had to get better for the people I was leading.”

While he could have gone anywhere, he chose to come back “home” to Gardner-Webb. “It was really about the relationships that were established from undergrad to divinity school,” Littlejohn affirmed. “I talk about the Koinonia Lounge—that was a safe place in Lindsey Hall. It was truly what that lounge is, a fellowship, a melting pot. We learned about each other, and we learned about each other’s journeys. It was fun times, sad times, even frustrating times there.”

Further, Littlejohn knew the professors at Gardner-Webb would motivate him to go above and beyond his best. “They understood my potential,” he related. “They would know when I wasn’t giving my best work. They wouldn’t just say, ‘Hey, great job.’ No, they would challenge me. I stand on their shoulders. I believe that I am who I am because of those relationships and that pushing.”

He earned his Master of Divinity in 2007 and his Doctor of Ministry in 2016 and is an adjunct professor at Gardner-Webb. Whether serving in the church or the community, Littlejohn lives out his challenge to his church members and the Mt. Calvary motto, “Living Beyond Familiar Every Day and in Every Way.” He explained what it means: “You are living by faith, living by a substance that is uncomfortable and you are trusting God to take you places that you can’t imagine you will go.”

An example of how the church has “Lived Beyond Familiar” is when they purchased the former North Shelby School building for $550,000 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The church was holding virtual services at the time. “Now, three and a half years later, we have community partners and partnerships,” Littlejohn shared. “We are doing ministry beyond familiar with a health clinic, after school care, the Partnership for Children, Feeding Kids and Reading Kids Cleveland County, and a food ministry with Second Harvest. Most anytime during the week, there are between 100 and 150 people on that campus. We are doing ministry beyond Sunday. You could say at Mt. Calvary, we are open 7 days a week, not just two.”

However, Littlejohn and the church are not finished. “As we continue to grow, we are far from finished,” he stated. “I still have some passion to do some other things that are beyond familiar.”

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.