Pastor Kenneth M. Donaldson was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, and graduated from The Rayen School class of 86. He was also a member of the state championship basketball team in 1985. Kenneth attended Middle Tennessee State University, obtaining a B.S. in Psychology and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. Kenneth also attended Dallas Theological Seminary, earning a Master's in Theology with a major in Urban Ministries. He accepted his calling to preach in September 1998 at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, TN. Kenneth is committed to expository preaching, teaching, and living out the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pastor Donaldson has been Pastor at Rising Star since 2007.
Kenneth M. Donaldson has been married to Rosalyn for 30 years. Sister Roz, as she is called, has a B.S. in Computer Science and a Master of Education in Instructional Technology. She is currently working on her doctorate in Educational Technology at Youngstown State University.
They have a son, Kenneth II, who has completed high school with aspirations to teach history, coach track, and complete the fantasy book series. He is currently a senior at Youngstown State University. God has blessed this family as they have made sacrifices to advance the kingdom of God.
After completing his undergraduate degree in psychology, Kenneth worked for several jobs revolving around young people, including case manager, intervention specialist, residential treatment counselor, and assistant director of admissions at Middle Tennessee State University. While working on the master's program at Dallas Seminary, he worked in the youth ministry at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, where Dr. Tony Evans serves as pastor. In 2007, after being away for 20 years, Kenneth and his family relocated back to Youngstown to pursue a pastorate at Rising Star Baptist, where he currently serves as pastor. Since 2007, he has volunteered at several East High School and several other schools as a mentor and coach. Kenneth has been on the front lines and also serves as the chaplain for the Y.S.U. Football team. Kenneth has mentored several young men and women who are ministry leaders and productive citizens. My mission is to challenge young people to begin to see themselves the way God sees them and passionately pursue their purpose. Kenneth is a student of Tai Quan Do (Korean self-defense) and has reached the belt level red. He is very disciplined and strongly desires to help young people succeed and live out their purpose. He has not lost hope in our kids. He contends that they need structure and consistency to achieve success. Many of our kids have many barriers to overcome, but Kenneth believes in keeping the standard high. It starts with the adults.