Bishop Paul Anthony Hardin is a native Texan and a product of the West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent Public School System in Orange, Texas. After graduating as the highest ranking male of the class of 1997 of West Orange-Stark High School, he continued his academic pursuits as a Frederick Douglass Scholar at American University in Washington, D. C., where in May of 2002 he obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Relations with a functional focus in Peace and Conflict Resolution and a regional focus in the Middle East. Reverend Hardin is also a graduate of Lamar University of Beaumont, Texas, having obtained a Master of Education Degree in Administration in May 2006. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Curriculum & Instruction at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, concentrating on Urban Education. Bishop Hardin holds professional certificates as a Social Studies teacher grades 8-12, as a Principal Early Childhood through 12th grade, and as a Superintendent Early Childhood through 12th grades. Paul learned at an early age that he had a ministerial calling on his life to the preaching ministry, and at age seven, the prophecy of his ministry was fulfilled as he began preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The last twenty-seven years of ministering have allowed him to preach in many settings both domestically and abroad, to the young as well as the old, sharing the Good News. His ministry has seen hundreds make commitments to Christ. In March of 2003, Reverend Hardin was installed as the Associate Pastor of Power of Praise Christian Center in Orange, Texas, a position he held until the end of 2005. On Monday, May 19, 2003, he was formally ordained an elder in the Mount Calvary Holy Church of America. On Sunday, August 24, 2003, Reverend Hardin was consecrated Overseer of Texas in the Mount Calvary Holy Church of America by Senior Bishop Harold Ivory Williams and Vice Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr. Following his tenure as Associate Pastor, Overseer Hardin became the founding pastor of Dominion Church International in September of 2006. Dominion Church International of Houston was launched Sunday, January 1, 2012 with approximately 120 members. Starting from their location in the heart of Houston Heights, Dominion Church has continued making an impact the Greater Houston region with the love and the Gospel of Jesus Christ! In December of 2013, Bishop Hardin led the church in an historic acquisition of the former Church of the Redeemer Episcopal in the Greater Eastwood/East Downtown area of Houston. This 40,000 square foot worship complex will facilitate a major expansion of the church’s ministry endeavors. Immediate plans for the space include: a day care, a charter school, and a college of Biblical studies. Following the leading of the LORD, Bishop Hardin joined a group of visionary men as one of the founding bishops of the Dominion Assembly of Christian Churches headquartered in Houston, Texas. As such, Bishop Hardin serves on the Executive Board of Bishops, as 1st Assistant Presiding Bishop, General Secretary/CIO of the fellowship, and as Presiding Prelate of the First Episcopal District. He was consecrated to the Office of Bishop by Bishop Larry D. Trotter in Los Angeles, California, July 22, 2011. Professionally, Mr. Hardin has had the privilege of making an impact as a public school educator, serving both as a classroom teacher and a campus administrator. His ability to implement innovative strategies resulted in double digit gains in student performance at the secondary school level. Having served as an assistant principal at the secondary and elementary levels and as acting principal of North Early Learning Center, he was promoted to the principalship of his alma mater – West Orange-Stark High School, the flagship campus of West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District – in the summer of 2009. Hardin assumed the helm of a campus rated as Academically Unacceptable and in a single year, he successfully led the campus to achieving an Academically Acceptable rating. Hardin’s success in leading initiatives to significantly increase student performance while increasing completion rates prepared him for his first Houston assignment as principal of the historic Kashmere Senior High School in Houston, Texas. In this capacity, he led the school to achieve a positive federal rating of “Met Adequately Yearly Progress”, the only high school in the Apollo 20 School Transformation Initiative to do so in 2012. An astute business man, Mr. Hardin established and serves as President and CEO of Hardin Development Company, LLC, which owns and manages a multi-family apartment community. He shares his life and ministry with The Reverend Claudia M. Hardin, Co-Pastor of Dominion Church International - Houston, and they are the proud parents of Gabrielle Jean-Marie Hardin, Paul Anthony Hardin II, and Alexandra Elise Hardin, who collectively are their pride and joy.