Joshua Joy Dara Sr.

Joshua Joy Dara was born in Ipee, Kwara State of Nigeria, West Africa. In 1980, he immigrated to the United States to pursue higher education, and later became a United States citizen.[2] Before coming to the United States, Dara earned an Associate of Arts degree from the Kwara State College of Technology and Basic Studies, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. Then, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the California Baptist University, Riverside, California. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Southern University School of Law, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Later, he earned the LLM degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law, Fayetteville, Arkansas.[3]

In 1980, Dr. Dara began his journey as a minister. He served with various ministry leaders across Africa and in the United States. Since 1996, Dara has served as the senior pastor of Zion Hill Church in Pineville, Louisiana.[4] In 2008, Zion Hill opened its Family Life Center, which was followed by a "dedication service" preached by Paula White.[5] Zion Hill consistently has an attendance of over 3000 members.[6]

In 2015, Dara entered the race to defeat Jay Luneau, a Democrat, in the Louisiana Senate District 29.[7][8][9] In an interview with the Town Talk, Dara explained his reason for entering the race: "I've always felt God called me into leadership and I've been leading in our community for the past two decades," Dara said. "This gives me the opportunity to continue to lead on a larger scale."[10] Dara chose to seek office as a Republican, in spite of the district's partisan lean.[11] He declined the oppurtunity to run as an independnet, claiming that his conservative views were central to his candidacy. His opponent, Luneau, defeated him by a margin of 6,748 to 4,296 (or 61.10% to 38.90%) in a landslide victory.[11]

Dara joined the faculty of Louisiana College in 2017 as an assistant professor of criminal justice, and then became dean of the School of Human Behavior in 2018. He had previously served as an adjunct professor, he developed a respect for the historic Baptist-affiliated university, “I am a product of a Baptist college," Dara said. "So, this is like I am at home. I’ve always been crazy about Baptist colleges and institutions, and the Baptists are very much responsible for my success today. I owe it to them. God has used them to be a blessing to me.”[6] In 2020, Dara was promoted to Associate VP for Student Engagement and Enrichment as part of the organizational restructuring that occurred.[12]

On February 14, 2019, Dara, then the dean of The School of Human Behavior, spoke at a Louisiana College chapel service about the topic of romantic relationships. According to those in attendance, Dara said that some young women were turning themselves into a "crack house" by having multiple sex partners. Dara also encouraged women to "mow your lawn," conjecturally, a reference to shaving their pubic hair.[13]

Dara married his wife, Elizabeth Joy Dara in 1985. Together, they have five children, Janice Dara, Jessie Dara, Joy Dara, Jumoke Dara, and Joshua Dara Jr.[14] Dara opposes the removal of prayer in schools, abortion rights, and acceptance of the LGBTQ community.[15]

• (2008) The Principles of Faith. AuthorHouse. ISBN 9781467050623, 1467050628
• (2010) Blue Print for a Successful Marriage. AuthorHouse. ISBN 1452020027, 9781452020020
• (2016) Principles of Healing: How to Receive Divine Healing. AuthorHouse. ISBN 9781467094160, 1467094161

• Official website