Joseph L. Coleman, Jr. is a native Richmond, Virginian.  He is a proud product of the city’s Washington Park neighborhood.

Joseph has served in many civic, professional and religious roles.  He has served the citizens of the Fairfield District in Henrico County for many years as a member of the Transportation and Safety Commission, the Recreation and Parks Advisory Commission and currently as a member of the Community Criminal Justice Board.  He also completed training as member of the Henrico Citizens Police Academy.  Joseph also is a past board member of Partner’s Financial Federal Credit Union. 

Joseph is retired from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.  He held one of only thirteen jobs in the country as an Appellate Calendar Clerk and was the only African American to hold such a position.  In addition, he has served as a guest lecturer at the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Joseph is a former member of the First Union Baptist Church, where he served in many roles including President of the Male Usher’s Ministry, Vice-Chair of the Trustee Ministry as well as Chairman of the Deacon Ministry.

Currently, he is a member to the historical Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Jackson Ward District of Richmond, Virginia.  There he serves as the Superintendent of the Church Sunday School, Member of the Christian Education Department, Member of the Men’s Ministry and Member of the Vacation Bible School Leadership Ministry.  In addition, he assists the Pastor to meet the needs of the church body as Minister of Pastoral Care.

Hearing the LORD’s call, Joseph answered his call to preach in November 2022.  He preached his trial sermon in May of 2023.  In June of 2025 he was catechized and ordained.   

He has earned degrees in Legal Assisting – Litigation Specialization (J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College) Cum Laude; Advanced Theological Preparation and Masters of Divinity from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University (with honors). As an avid proponent of Liberation Theology, he lives by the motto of, “Liberation is the work required of freedom.”

He is married to his life partner Cecile Pryor-Coleman.  They have two children, Ashley Domonique and Joseph III and two grand-sons Harrison and Zaheer.

Finally, and most importantly, he is a child of the Living and Loving God of all Creation.