What did rural Mississippi have to offer a young black man in the 60s?  He could stay in the system and live in poverty, he could join the civil rights movement and protest, or he could leave.  “Someday I’m leaving Mississippi and I ain”t never comin’ back,” was Dolphus’ dream.  He did leave and went to California where in 1969 he became one of the first black students ever to graduate from the all-white Los Angeles Baptist College with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology.  In 1971, he received a Masters of Religious Education Degree (M.R.E.) from Los Angeles Baptist Seminary and a Masters in Educational Administration (M. Ed) from the University of Southern Mississippi.  In 1973, Dolphus was ordained to the ministry, and in 1997 he received a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi.  In 2007, Dolphus was honored by Waynesburg College in Waynesburg, PA with a Doctorate of Humane Letters.

In addition to these accomplishments, in 1990 Weary published a book entitled I Ain’t Comin Back, which tells his life story.  He returned to Mississippi to work with Mendenhall Ministries, a multi-faceted Christian Community Development ministry, which then-President George Bush named as his 541st Daily of Light.  Dolphus served with Mendenhall Ministries from 1971 through 1997.

Currently, Dr. Weary is President and Primary Visionary of Mission Mississippi, a racial reconciliation movement that encourages unity in the body of Christ across racial and denominational lines.  He serves a member of the national boards of ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability), (WBOV) Wheaton College Board of Visitors, and WorldVision.  He also serves on several boards of directors and advisory boards, including Belhaven College, the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson Grants Committee, Catholic Charities, Mississippi Faith Based Coalition, Greater Jackson Arts Council, Junior League of Jackson, Mississippi, Families for Kids (Chairman), the Mississippi Religious Leadership Conference, and the WAPT-TV 16 African American Advisory Board.

A frequent speaker at various local and national conferences, Dolphus also has been featured in many renowned magazines.  He has been a featured writer in Daily Guideposts for the past thirteen years, and was featured in The Complete Evangelism Guidebook.  Dolphus and his wife Rosie are the parents of three children: Danita, who lives in Natchez, Mississippi; Ryan, who is a student at Belhaven College; and Reggie, who went home to be with the Lord in June of 2004.