Allan Wiltshire II M.A. ’24
Graduate Student
Words: Peter Biles ’20
Photos: Kayla Smith
Allan Wiltshire II M.A. ’24
Graduate Student
Allan Wiltshire II M.A. ’24, was born in Washington, D.C., to parents who instilled in him a love of three things: Jesus, ministry, and music. Raised in the Salvation Army, in which his parents were pioneers (having built two of the largest Black Salvation Army churches in the South), he grew up learning music and encountering the realities of inner-city life in the mid 1960s and ’70s. For many years, music was a powerful way of ministering to hurting people with the gospel.
Wiltshire’s love of music never waned, but it did evolve. He went from primarily British brass band music to performing jazz and Black Gospel music at his father’s church. He attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, then returned to Washington to continue his studies at Howard University on a scholarship. By his late teens and early 20s, he was touring different Salvation Army churches around the country and had opportunities to travel overseas with his music ministry.
Over the years, Wiltshire served as a musician in multiple congregations and contexts. Although he started playing music in Salvation Army churches, he ultimately moved to larger megachurch congregations. There, he experienced a shift in vision that involved moving beyond music into a more globally minded, pastoral, multiethnic type of ministry. Not only did he want to sing, but he also felt called to pastor.
While pursuing this vision, Wiltshire discovered the Mosaix Multiethnic Church Institute, headed by Dr. Mark DeYmaz. In partnership with the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, the institute strives to “help ministry leaders build healthy multiethnic and economically diverse, culturally intelligent, biblically just, and financially sustainable churches to glorify God.”
“I was really taken by DeYmaz’s teaching and thought leadership on the multiethnic church movement,” said Wiltshire. “When I learned there was a degree program from Wheaton that was a Mosaix partnership, it was a no-brainer for me. I signed up.”
Wiltshire sees the M.A. in Leadership as a pivotal moment in his already illustrious life and career. Although he doesn’t want to abandon music ministry, God is calling him to expand his focus. His longstanding passion for the global church compels him to look for ways to minister and serve as a pastor in addition to his artistry. Everything from jazz and gospel music to ministry in Washington and a master’s in leadership has shaped and prepared him for whatever comes next.
To learn more about the M.A. in Leadership, visit wheaton.edu/leadership.
